Short Bio:

Coach Maria Zarro-Anaya is a dedicated educator with more than 30 years of experience in K–12 education. Coming from a family of educators and law enforcement professionals, she has devoted her career to serving students and her community. Born and raised in the South Bay, Coach Zarro-Anaya is proud to call Bishop Montgomery High School her home, where she teaches Honors American Literature, Honors British Literature, ACE, and Speech & Debate.

Throughout her distinguished career, Coach Zarro-Anaya has served students in a wide variety of instructional and leadership roles. As a member of the Performing & Visual Arts Small Learning Community (SLC/House), she taught drama, speech and debate, voice development, dance, documentary filmmaking, screenwriting, playwriting, English literature, Expository Writing for seniors, and the social sciences. She also served as an Assistant Principal of Operations and as a mentor to student teachers, helping develop the next generation of educators.

Beyond the classroom, Coach Zarro-Anaya is deeply committed to student growth through extracurricular involvement. She has coached swimming, softball, baseball, soccer, and football, and continues to teach and coach athletic programs during the summer. In addition, she serves as the advisor and mentor for the school's ACE Mentor Program and Robotics Team, inspiring students to pursue careers in architecture, construction, engineering, and STEM through hands-on learning, leadership, and real-world problem-solving.

Her unwavering commitment to academic excellence, student leadership, and community engagement has made a lasting impact on countless students over the course of her career.

Education:

Coach Zarro-Anaya is a true Bruin from UCLA (always "eight-clappin'") where she earned her B.A. majoring in English Literature. She holds an A.A. in Economics, and an M.Ed in Educational Leadership & Administration from Concordia University, Irvine, where she concurrently earned her Administrative credential focusing on operations and athletics.

Other Tidbits:

Aside from her teaching profession, Coach Zarro-Anaya was once training for the police academy until she and her family welcomed the news of introducing a second child into the world. She also runs her own business teaching and coaching swimming, writing speeches, consulting businesses in property management, construction, roofing, and California condominium HOA legal resolution matters.

In her own words:

“I am very happy to be here at Bishop where I can feel a sense of belonging and family. I look forward to learning from my colleagues and my students each and every day. God has a plan for me: This must be where I am supposed to be.”

Whatever you are, be a good one.

~Abraham Lincoln