Hackettstown Resident Named a Teacher 'Who Rocks'

Matheny School teacher Margaret "Peggy" Zappulla, a resident of Hackettstown, has been chosen as one of the Teachers Who Rock class of 2014 by New Jersey radio stations WDHA 105.5FM and WMTR 1250AM. Zappulla's nomination was announced on the air on both stations on the morning of January 31, and she will be honored with the other Teachers Who Rock at an awards banquet in April.

The Matheny School, part of the Matheny Medical and Educational Center in Peapack, provides students with multiple disabilities the potential to reach the highest possible academic level. Working with students with special needs, says Zappulla, "is a fulfilling experience. My belief is that, if you have a goal in life, nothing should stop you from achieving it. I have a responsibility to provide my students with the encouragement, tools and support to help them reach their goals."

Zappulla, according to Sean Murphy, Matheny School principal, "is not your typical teacher. She is always aspiring to reach new heights, and some of her biggest contributions have been on our technology committee where she sucessfully rolled out initiatives to have assistive switches distributed to every student in the school."

Another contribution has been her efforts to help her students grow a vegetable garden. It started with corn last spring and will expand to several other vegetables this coming spring. Last spring, the class planted corn seeds outside, did a compost and watered the seeds. "When the corn had grown about three inches long," says Zappulla, "you should have seen the look on their faces. Wow!"