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Agnes 'Granny' Zhelesnik, America's oldest working teacher, celebrated her 100th birthday at a special performance at The Sundance School in North Plainfield, where she has worked since 1995.

(Amanda Brown/For the Star-Ledger)

NORTH PLAINFIELD — Believed to be the oldest working teacher in America, Agnes "Granny" Zhelesnik celebrated her 100th birthday this morning with her extended family – the faculty and students at The Sundance School in North Plainfield.

Truth be told, the honoree said she would rather have been in her kitchen with her students.

“They did all this, and so I'm going to live with it," Zhelesnik said.

The school auditorium was decorated with portraits of Zhelesnik, who started teaching cooking and sewing at the private pre-kindergarten through Grade 5 school when she was 81. The 230-member student body sang happy birthday, and principal Benjamin Fox read letters from President Barak Obama and Gov. Chris Christie.

North Plainfield Mayor Michael Giordano read an official proclamation honoring Zhelesnik, who was born Jan. 12, 1914. She is the mother of three, grandmother of 4 and great-grandmother to four more. Daughter Agnes Arakelian, a teacher at the school, granddaughter Nina Lord and great-granddaughter Stella celebrated with her today.

“I suppose it’s the children,” Zhelesnik said when asked the secret to her longevity. “It’s a great life watching children grow up.”

To the students, she's like a member of the family.

"She's so lively, you don't think that she's one hundred years old," said 10-year-old Ashwin Sanjay. "Her aura is so young."

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