After seven years in the Menlo classroom, Upper School computer science teacher Zachary Blickensderfer is preparing to leave. Throughout his time on campus, Blickensderfer has served as the head of the Upper School computer science program, and has taught Precalculus, CS2, AT CS and Intro Programming — which he later developed into CS1 with fellow computer science teacher Douglas Kiang.
Before coming to Menlo, Blickensderfer got his bachelor’s degree in computer science from Yale. He then completed a two-year apprenticeship-style program through the University of Pennsylvania that was combined with two years of teaching experience at a school just north of Chicago.
According to Blickensderfer, while he has cherished his time at Menlo, he is looking to do technical work at the intersection of operating systems and power consumption. “I think it’s a really interesting opportunity to learn more and to do work that focuses on sustainability,” Blickensderfer said.
While his new goal will take him to new job positions, Blickensderfer is hopeful he will stay local. “My wife’s job is here, and we’re really happy here,” he said. “There are a lot of companies doing interesting technical work in this area.”
Some of Blickensderfer’s proudest moments on campus include mentoring the chess team and the Jewish Affinity Group. “Being invited by students to be part of those communities was an honor. Feeling that students wanted me involved was really special,” Bilckensderfer said.
His favorite memory from his time at Menlo has been working with Kiang and computer science teacher Nandhini Namasivayam to put together the first Sharefaire — an annual event that displays student work from computer science — and being able to run that event and watch it grow over the years. “I’ve appreciated celebrating students’ academic achievements in a non-competitive way,” Blickensderfer said.
Blickensderfer plans to continue to be an active member of the Menlo community after his departure. “I really hope this isn’t a goodbye. I’m planning to stay local, and even if I’m not a full-time member of the faculty, I’d love to continue mentoring and tutoring students and staying present,” he said. “I hope my students know that just because I’m leaving my full-time role doesn’t mean I’m disappearing.”
