Stanhope fifth-grade teacher wins grant for teaching proper pet care

Stanhope - Kim Kurz, a fifth-grade teacher at the Valley Road School in Stanhope, has won a teaching grant for $1,000 from the N.J. Veterinary Medical Associates. “Taking Care of Your Community by Taking Care of Your Pet” is a service-learning project supported by the N.J. Medical Association. The NJVMA acknowledges educational endeavors that encourage responsible pet ownership. The grant will enable students to learn the importance of becoming responsible pet owners, and how their behaviors and attitudes can have a definite impact on society. The primary focus of the program is to prepare students to take an active approach toward issues of social concerns and importance, such as pets. Students will meet with various guest speakers to educate themselves about the importance of pet concerns, pet care, and pet awareness. Fifth-grade students will work together to develop short presentations and skits to present to lower grade students. Kurz and her students received congratulations from school principal Gregory A. Hobaugh and schools superintendent Nicholas P. Brown.