Just before school ended, Glassboro Council President Tony Fiola and Councilman Ed Malandro swung by the children's classroom to deliver happy news: The dog park was a go.
That means Sunny, class member Michael DiTullio's black Labrador retriever, eventually will have more room to romp, and Marc Jurek will have fewer occasions to chase after Roxy, the family cockapoo, when the pooch makes a break from the yard.
But the students' triumph has significance beyond an uptick in the quality of life for borough canines and their owners.
Their experience has been a lesson in how government operates and what can be achieved when citizens work together.
"We all said to them, 'Boys and girls, look at what you did. You're only 8 and 9 years old,' " said their teacher, Shelly Petrozza. "I think they realized you do have power no matter how little you are."
It started with some lessons in basic civics.
The students were reading about government in literacy class, so Petrozza asked members of Borough Council to speak. Malandro and Fiola took her up on the invitation, then invited the students to the next council session and challenged them to think about what would make their community a better place.
In the classroom, Petrozza said she had students nominate things they thought would improve Glassboro.
A new pizzeria? A bookstore? Considered and dismissed.
In the end, it was a tie: a dog park, suggested by Marc Jurek, perhaps inspired by all those Roxy chases, and a skate park. The latter was the brainchild of Sierra Highley, who wanted to expand her skating horizons beyond the front of her house.
The children presented council with a case for each proposal, complete with chart and petition. If a project needed financial support, they suggested modest user fees.
