“When he asks a question, he’s got background in it,” said Paul Schmit, Zach’s spring semester world geography teacher. “He’s got a real curiosity for things going on.”

Last month, Schmit presented Zach with the social studies award at the class of 2008’s academic all-star ceremony.

On Friday, the Welch resident will graduate from Red Wing High School. He’ll do so with honors, an accomplishment teachers and his family say is a testament to his personal resolve.

While hearing devices have helped Zach, much of his life has been a struggle.

“It’s been a challenge for me socially,” he said.

Despite the advances in hearing aid technology, he still has a difficult time hearing peers who speak softly, Cheryl said.

At school, Zach balances a combination of techniques to communicate.

He reads lips — proficiently, educators and family say. He watches a sign language interpreter. And when possible, he can hear, thanks to a cochlear implant.

The device uses a microphone to send signals from the auditory nerve to the brain. Its function is different than a hearing aid and requires a learning curve among users.

But in the nine months since Zach received the implant, the results have been astounding, his mother said. He can now hear birds sing.

“It’s amazing,” Zach said of the technology.

In two years, he hopes to be able to hear telephone calls and music.

Both he and his sister Jenna, an eighth-grader, have hearing loss, Cheryl said.

The condition is genetic. The siblings talk with each other about the condition, which their mother said is therapeutic.

“They help each other out,” she said.

That makes living with profound hearing loss easier for Zach, but he said the impairment also affords some benefits. Without the distraction of noises, he’s able to concentrate on his studies harder than most of his peers.

“That’s one advantage I use,” he said.

And it’s paid off, educators say.

Red Wing High School Principal Beth Borgen said that apart from being “a top-notch human being,” Zach is a high achiever in spite of the hearing loss.

“He’s never used it as a crutch,” she said. “It’s never been an obstacle for him academically.”

When he’s not hunkered down in studies, Zach delves into history, especially from World War II. The 19-year-old has grown so enamored with the war that he participates in WWII re-enactments.

“I’m just fascinated by that — the daily life of a World War II soldier,” he said.

After graduation, Zach plans to pursue his education at South Central College in Mankato, Minn., where he’ll begin a machining program. Deeper into the future, he said he’d like to attend the University of Minnesota, perhaps for an advanced degree in computer integrated machinery.

Borgen said success is a safe bet no matter what direction he takes.

“Wherever he goes, the place will benefit just by having Zach walk through the door,” she said.

http://www.republican-eagle.com/articles/index.cfm?id=50782§ion=Education