Beyond the Classroom: Heermance Place Officially Renamed “Pizzuto Way”
photos and screen grab courtesy of Ridgewood Schools
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, Some educators leave a lasting mark on a school building, but Basil Pizzuto left one on an entire generation.
In a deeply moving and permanent tribute to a man whose influence stretched far beyond the confines of a classroom, Ridgewood High School (RHS) officially announced the renaming of Heermance Place to Pizzuto Way. The emotional dedication ceremony took place alongside the school’s vibrant annual Celebration of the Arts, drawing community members, educators, and former students together to honor a local legend.
December 12, 2014 Last updated: Friday, December 12, 2014, 12:31 AM
The Ridgewood News
Jack Lorenz
As flags flew at half-staff last week, the community remembered the side-by-side relationship it shared with Jack Lorenz, who for years was entrusted with the education of perhaps Ridgewood’s most impressionable citizens.
Written and spoken tributes to Lorenz, 69, who served as Ridgewood High School principal from 2006 to 2011, quickly emerged soon after the brief details of his passing surfaced during the latter half of this past Thanksgiving weekend.
Jack Lorenz, former Ridgewood principal, remembered as ‘agent of change’
December 4, 2014 Last updated: Thursday, December 4, 2014, 1:40 PM
By By Jodi Weinberger
Staff Writer |
The Ridgewood News
At the celebration of the Learning Commons last month, when the lengthy project to upgrade the high school’s library was deemed complete, Jack Lorenz was smiling from his home in Alabama.
“It was his vision and his dream,” said Tina Telesco, a parent involved with the Home and School Association (HSA). “When we called him for the ribbon cutting, he actually cried on the phone. He was pretty sick at the time and he said ‘I can’t believe this is happening.’
“So many other principals and leaders are so worried about their image and the politics and everything,” Telesco continued. “Jack’s only care in the world was about the students.”
Lorenz, the beloved principal who served Ridgewood High School from 2006-2011, died Saturday. He was 69. He is survived by his wife, Karen, and sons, Jake and Matthew.
To say that students and parents in Ridgewood loved Lorenz would only be telling half the story; Lorenz was an educator who truly loved the community back.
David Zrike first met Lorenz about four years ago when he was driving by a high school Sweet 16 party where many teens were being arrested for drinking.
“It was sickening, so I decided to call him to see if there was something we could do to stop that trend,” Zrike recalled. “Within 10 minutes he called me back, he asked for me to come meet him, and from there we established Backwoods.”
