A real-life hometown hero
Art teacher
nominated for ‘Hero for the Planet’ award
By theresa a. boschen
Staff Writer

JERRY WOLKOWITZ Millstone Elementary School art teacher Judy Mazzucco talks with students in Suzanne Worringer’s fourth-grade class who nominated her as their hometown heroine.

A class of 24 fourth-graders in the Millstone Elementary School have found a hero in their own back yard — a back yard with 37 miles of rolling countryside. And their hero hopes to keep it that way.

The students in Suzanne Worringer’s class have nominated art teacher Judy Mazzucco as a "Hero for the Planet," submitting her name in a contest sponsored by the children’s magazine Time for Kids. On Friday, the pupils presented Mazzucco with an honorary certificate and the opportunity to review the supportive portfolio of her qualifications, which the class compiled, before sending it to Time for Kids.

"I was very flattered," Mazzucco said, referring to the recognition by the students. If the contest entry is selected by the publication as a winner, Mazzucco will be featured in a story in the magazine’s Earth Day 2001 special edition, which will be available in the spring.

When Worringer decided to involve the fourth-graders in this unique experience, she chose Mazzucco as a focus because of her co-worker’s dedication to saving the environment. Mazzucco was selected, Worringer explained, because the project called for the selection of someone within her pupils’ neighborhood who is "committed to the environment [and] who would make a lasting change in the community because of his or her work."

JERRY WOLKOWITZ Millstone Elementary School art teacher Judy Mazzucco looks through a book students prepared outlining her accomplishments.

Mazzucco, a longtime township resident, serves as chairwoman and is a founding member of the six-seat Millstone Township Open Space and Farmland Preservation Council.

The council acts as an advisory group to the Township Committee, working with municipal, county and state government officials to secure funding for land preservation throughout the rural community.

Land preservation "is a big issue in Millstone," said Worringer. "And I thought it would be much more meaningful for the children if they knew (their contest nominee) personally." Mazzucco, who breeds horses on the 77-acre Hampshire Hollow Farm on Backbone Hill Road, where she lives, has taught at the elementary school for the past 13 years.

In preparing the portfolio, the youngsters applied a wide scope of knowledge gleaned from various subject areas, Worringer said. Art skills were developed as students took photographs of some of the land under preservation in contrast to nearby, ongoing construction.

Working as a team, the pupils also got a chance to gather local newspaper articles to submit as part of the entry, she said. They even practiced public speaking by interviewing people who work closely with Mazzucco to be included as part of the written testimonials supporting their nominee.

Using maps helped the students to improve upon their math skills, Worringer said. The contest also required entrants to answer four questions about their hero.

"The children have practiced a lot of educational skills," Worringer said. "It was quite a neat project. (The students) were very enthusiastic."

Mazzucco rated the results of the children’s efforts as "excellent" and said "it would be very exciting for Mrs. Worringer’s class" if Time For Kids picked their entry as a winner. Mazzucco said she is hopeful that the students will convey the message of environmental preservation to their parents "so that it will become as important to the parents as it is to them."

"It’s very important to have open space for the environment, for the physical and mental well-being of everybody," she said.