When I first began teaching in the Bowling Green School District I found myself right next door to a man
who, I soon learned, knew almost everything. Roger Mazzarella had been teaching in the same classroom at
Bowling Green Junior High for 31 years when I started. I watched him educate children in science and in
life, without ever picking up a textbook (I’m pretty sure he already had them memorized). I was amazed
at the questions that seventh graders could come up with on any given day during a science lesson. There
were times in that first (and even second) year of teaching that I would say to a student, "That’s
a great question; why don’t you write it down, and we’ll talk about it tomorrow." At the end of the
day, I would collect my pile of sticky notes filled with questions and I would walk over to Roger’s
room.
He would go through them one by one with me, never getting frustrated or irritated, regardless of the
length of my list. He just sat back and ! waited for me to ask the next one. He had dedicated his life
to education, community, and family. In his fifties, with grown children and four years from retirement,
his calendar was still as full as mine. He had plans, whether they were rugby practice at the
university, dinner with his wife, or a meeting in the community. Roger is a "go to guy;" he
only says "no" if he knows he can’t fully commit himself to the task at hand. When he says
"yes," you are going to receive 100%. He is a motivator, a leader, and a mentor.
I have thanked Roger many times for the support that he has given me, and now I give him my support as he
runs for city council in the Third Ward.
Kristi Krupp
Bowling Green
