The day before winter break, on Dec. 23, one of HHS’s longest serving nurses (nine years), Mrs. Machat, retired. Helen Machat started in Hillsborough Township Public Schools as a registered nurse at the middle school in 2016, where she started becoming a supportive and trusted figure to many.
One of Machat’s most important lessons is as follows: “Don’t judge a book by its cover. Every person who walks in is a human and they need something — they all deserve kindness.” Machat continued, “When you’re busy and frustrated, it’s easy to say you’ve been here ten times, but maybe by the tenth time, they really do need you.”
Another notable quality about Machat is that she always is looking for a reason to smile and to make others smile. Machat reflected on how she evolved from acting as a mother figure for students to seeing them as patients and individuals.
Machat highlighted one of her favorite memories. “I couldn’t say there’s one. The best thing is when I’m at my desk and someone comes in to say hi, when they come out of their way to say hello,” Machat said.
However, something that students may not know about her is that she loves science. Prior to getting her nursing degree at Raritan Valley Community College (2014), after she got her degree in biochemistry at Rutgers (1986). “I’m a science geek, you see,” Machat said.
The recent retiree plans to spend her time with family, while traveling and being a grandmother. “We’re going to the Dominican Republic. Then in August we are going with my youngest son’s in-laws on a cruise to the Mediterranean. There is a full eclipse during it,” said Machat.
