Written by Seth Stutman
Photos by Sarah Gallagher Studios

Sponsored by East Village Place

Published in Longmeadow Neighbors (July 2023)

It seemed to be a morning like any other.  The minivan containing the Verriden family had just parked at Springfield’s Academy Hill School. Zach Verriden looked at his children grinning and giggling in the back three rows like they always did.  But on this day, Zach (also Academy Hill’s principal) saw another adorable face - the children had smuggled their puppy, Gus, into the van! 

It’s hard to fluster Zach, the even-kneeled midwesterner who dedicates his life to working with children - but the dog abduction by his well-intentioned children almost broke Verriden.  Luckily, he was able to turn the dilemma into delight as the students of Academy Hill had a new mascot for the day - although Zach’s gray hairs are forever. 

Such hijinks are the norm in the Verrizen household.  Zach and Anya, and their four children Henry (9), Tommy (8), Katy (7) and Sam (4), and their three dogs,  Rosy (12), Maggie (2), and Gus (4 months), are always up to something.  Sports and dance, Cub Scouts and Daisy’s, art, swimming, music, enrichment activities, and more, the Verriden’s are on the move.  

“There are so many fun ways to get involved in Longmeadow,” said the Verridens, “but one of our favorites is just connecting and spending time with many of the friends we have made.”

In a rare quiet moment, the Verriden children shared their feelings on Longmeadow.  Henry, the oldest, via his AAC device said, “the playground!” Tommy said, “playing with my neighborhood friends.” Katy said, “going to the library,”  and Sam said, “going to the Greenwood Pool!” 

Zach and Anya met while attending graduate school in Cambridge, Massachusetts. They lived across the hall from each other, and not only did they fall in love, their friend circle from school remains intact.  

Anya has earned degrees, doctorates, and distinctions from Smith College, Harvard, and the University of Wisconsin.  She also speaks Russian, and currently works as a clinical and neuropsychologist providing supervision and completing testing, report writing and providing recommendations and diagnoses. Most of her training has been in the area of pediatrics and her current portfolio primarily consists of evaluations for Veterans of the U.S. Military. 

Zach studied Political Science at the University of Wisconsin, has a master’s degree in Educational Policy from Harvard University, and holds a business certificate from Rice University. He is currently working on his dissertation as part of his doctorate work at the University of Wisconsin in the areas of Educational Leadership & Policy Analysis. 

Since coming to Longmeadow, Zach has remained proactive and in the public eye, serving as the chair of the Longmeadow Select Board’s Coalition for Racial Justice Task Force. He was also on the BHS School Council.  He is currently the Head of School at Academy Hill School and was recently elected to serve on the Longmeadow School Committee.  Moreover, Zach can be seen, whistle on neck, coaching his children’s T-ball, soccer, and basketball teams.

“We love being in careers where we can give back and help others,” said the Verridens.  “Being deeply involved in the community is important to us because of the model it sets for our children.  We think it is awesome to have the opportunity to grow with our kids and be involved at the same time.”

In their decades-long relationship, Zach and Anya lived in several different states and traveled the world extensively, but have an affinity for New England’s intoxicating aroma of academia.  Even though Anya hates football and Zach thinks it's a pretentious memory to share, they mark fall with the annual Harvard-Yale football game.  This ritual combines their love of education, tradition, and quality time with family.

“Education and inclusivity are a cornerstone of our family,” Anya says.  “Our primary focus is our family and that can be all consuming with four little humans at home.  We love working and playing alongside our family while being able to focus on connecting with the community around us.”

Educational excellence and the American ideal are relatively new endeavors for the Verriden family - Anya is a first generation American and Zach is a first generation college graduate. 

“How we grew up is very different from how our own children are growing up and with that we try to instill important values around love, kindness, and family,” Zach said.

Once the Verriden’s family began to expand, their sights narrowed to setting up the next phase in New England - and they would not let the pandemic deter their move.  

“Returning to Massachusetts [from the midwest] brought us closer to relatives, gave us access to exceptional educational opportunities, Boston Children’s Hospital for Henry, and aligned more with our belief systems and the kind of community we wanted our kids to grow up in,” said Anya.

Anya hails from Northampton, and the family spent four months sleeping all together in the basement of her mother’s home while they looked for a home in Longmeadow.  “At the time, it felt impossibly stressful,” said Zach, “but now we look back on it with fondness and a significant transition point in our lives.”

“It has been a wild series of events that brought us here and it is interesting to note that we were visiting family in Northampton so long ago when we first drove through Longmeadow,” said the Verridens.  “We were so enamored with the beauty and history of the homes on Longmeadow Street that we took a detour down some side streets and wondered aloud to ourselves in the car, “wouldn’t this be a great place to live?”  Nearly a decade later, here we are!”

The Verriden’s haven’t looked back, and have embraced their new locale.  

“We love our neighborhood, which has a nostalgic feeling where we tell our kids to be home when the streetlights come on.  We are beyond fortunate to live in a mixed neighborhood with a lot of young kids, in addition to families with grown children who can share and reminisce about similar experiences of raising their children here. We love having kids playing in our yard or just coming over to say ‘hi’” the Verriden’s said.  

“On any given day, our kids are playing soccer in a neighbor’s yard, pulling bikes and scooters out of our next door neighbor’s garage, jumping on trampolines, playing chess, having a pool party, or running around in a very serious and ongoing game of Manhunt.” 

“We have a neighborhood group text that helps to keep tabs on where the kids are and to coordinate activities like trick or treating, but it’s also not uncommon to hear a parent standing on their front porch calling their kids home for dinner,” the Verriden’s continued.  “Our neighbors have asked us to help keep an eye on their homes (and we have done the same!) and recently we all got to welcome a new baby to the neighborhood. We have also leaned on our neighbors to help us get kids home from school and they count on us for the same–it is pretty great. This feeling extends to the broader Longmeadow community, as well, where we have been lucky to meet and spend time with some amazing families.”

Most mornings at the Verriden’s don’t feature dog abductions, but do entail 2000’s Total Request Live-esque sing-alongs at breakfast or, sneaking through our back gate to get coffee at the shops.  In rare, quiet moments, they are able to put their feelings on their transition to Longmeadow into words.  

“Everyone is so committed to raising their children the best that they can. We never feel alone, even through the hard times,” said Zach and Anya. “We’ve developed important and lasting friendships with other folks and feel our children have developed kind and loving friendships. It seems like everyone around town knows our son, Henry, who is a pretty complex and unique little guy, and many go out of their way to make sure he is included in everything. We especially appreciate the sense of community that keeps our kids safe.”