Norwood-Norfolk Central School honoring legacy of man who wore many hats in district, community

pNORFOLK — The Norwood-Norfolk Central School District will honor the legacy of a man who wore many hats in the district and community./ppAt a ceremony, district officials will unveil a dedication plaque that will be fixed to the wall in the eighth-grade hallway in honor of Jon D. Hazen, who died Nov. 20, 2018. They’ll be joined by Mr. Hazen’s family for the 1 p.m. ceremony Saturday./ppMr. Hazen was a longtime member of the district’s Board of Education, a retired teacher, retired coach and New York state track official. He also served as vice president of the St. Lawrence School Board Association, was a member of New York State United Teachers and was the founder of the youth soccer program in the Norwood-Norfolk-Raymondville area. In addition, Mr. Hazen had been a member and a president of the Norfolk Lions Club./pp“We had a committee that met with members of Jon’s family to determine the best and most appropriate area to dedicate to John,” Superintendent James Cruikshank said./ppAlthough Mr. Hazen was involved in many efforts both at the school and in the community, “he was a teacher first and foremost. That’s where he mentored many, many professionals. Our teachers were mentored by Jon. The legend of Jon Hazen will live on for many, many years,” he said./ppThey decided the appropriate place in the district to recognize Mr. Hazen’s contributions was the eight-grade hallway, the area where he has mentored students as a social studies teacher./pp“We all knew when we met as a committee that we wanted to dedicate this not just in his memory, but for his legacy,” Mr. Cruikshank said. “He was a teacher and spent most of his career there. We felt it was very fitting to recognize that hallway as Jon Hazen’s.”/ppHe said that, when they think of “Flyer Pride” in the district, they envision the accomplishments of the children, and their success can be attributed to individuals like Mr. Hazen./pp“It is important to remember that our children are able to have these accomplishments because of people like Jon Hazen,” he said./pp“Whether on the field, rink, track or in the classroom and board room, Jon anchored all that he did with the belief in public education. A lifelong Flyer, every day he gave his all for the community and the children of Norwood-Norfolk, (and) this hallway dedication is most appropriate,” Mr. Cruikshank said./ppSeven other individuals have had areas of the school district named in their honor, and Mr. Hazen will officially join that list on Sept. 21./p