As an Eagle Scout and member of a church youth group, recently graduated South River High School senior Nick Razzano had numerous opportunities to volunteer.
One of his advanced placement teachers best explained, however, why Nick took advantage of all those chances to perform community service.
“Nicholas willingly participates in so many activities because he sees intrinsic value in making the most of his time,” said Valerie Swercheck, a biology teacher and class advisor. “His community service comes from a genuine place of wanting to give back and help others.”
A four- year varsity letterwinner and three-year starter on the baseball team who also served as South River’s Class Vice President all four years of high school, Nick “always enthusiastically rose to the occasion, never complaining about his full schedule,” Swercheck said.
“Instead, he embraced the challenges and spent his time helping others, being a leader in the community.”
Nick, who boasted a 4.36 cumulative grade-point average as a member of the National Honor Society while earning All-Division honors as the South River baseball team’s leading pitcher and hitter, is the latest recipient of a Marisa Tufaro Foundation Greater Middlesex Conference Student-Athlete Scholarship.
Nick compiled a 4-2 record with a 1.87 ERA this season while striking out 57 batters and walking just 15 over 52 and a third innings. He also batted .354 with 28 hits while scoring 19 times and driving home 17 runs.
Nick is a past recipient of a prestigious Prudential Spirit of Community Award. Created in 1995 by Prudential and the National Association of Secondary School Principals, the program honors middle school and high school students exclusively for outstanding community service to others at the local, state and national level.
His service through a church youth group included helping out at a local soup kitchen, volunteering for multiple activities including an egg hunt and Mother’s Day and Father’s Day events, sleeping out for the homeless, collecting items for the poor at a local shelter, and conducting activities for a Senior Citizens Valentine’s dance.
Nick served as a summer camp leader for Boy Scouts, volunteered at a church flea market, helped with a Memorial Day ceremony honoring veterans at a local VFW post, fed and engaged veterans at a luncheon, and assisted with multiple Eagle Scout projects while conducting one of his own to beautify the high school baseball field.
The improvements Nick made to South River’s diamond as part of his Eagle Scout project were a home run.
He fundraised and organized volunteers to assist with his project, which included replacing dilapidated wood in the home and away dugouts, painting the interior and exterior of both dugouts, clearing the entryway to the dugouts, installing hat, ball and bat holders in the dugouts and hanging new signs in the dugouts.
Nick also beautified the surrounding area, removing branches and weeds that were encroaching upon the structures.
He also purchased equipment for players to use at all levels from the middle school through the varsity including a portable L screen, a protective field screen, a new home plate, a new turf batter’s box and miscellaneous items such as incrediballs and light flight balls.
Nick parlayed his passion for community service and baseball into volunteering at youth baseball clinics and helping to run Little League tryouts.
“Nick has been a great role model to the younger ballplayers in town,” South River head baseball coach Mike Lepore Jr. said. “As a human being, Nick has always come across as being mature beyond his years. He’s extremely hard-working and motivated. He possesses admirable leadership qualities and is looked up to by his peers.”
Swercheck described Nick as an “upstanding gentleman with an incredible head on his shoulders.”
“Students respect Nick for the man he is and the way he always conducts himself with dignity and honor,” Swercheck said, noting Nick always found time “in his already busy schedule to help support his classmates and school.”
“He is an integral part in all class fundraising efforts, and was especially crucial in last year’s campaign to reach out to school alumni. When it comes to class activities, Nick gives freely of his own accord, and yet still works tirelessly to promote the cause to others.”
In addition to his volunteerism, Nick has worked at Raritan Landing Golf Course, Jason Fagin Baseball Academy and for the South River Recreation Department.
Nick will continue his studies and baseball career at Penn State Brandywine.