June 17, 2010

Unionville High School Principal Paula Massanari challenged
her more than 300 graduating seniors to know themselves. Those were just some
of the thoughts conveyed during the commencement ceremony for the Class of 2010
at the Carpenter Center on June 10.

Massanari opened her talk saying, “Who are you going to be?”

She said that no matter what the graduates do next, people
would want to know one thing. “They will wonder what kind of person is standing
before me.”

Massanari told them that they had been nurtured by many
people and taught to be accountable.

“I challenge you to take part of this summer to thoughtfully
consider what part of yourself you really like and want to develop further,”
she said, “and what part of your behavior you would rather leave behind.”

Massanari said those people the grads would meet along the
path during the rest of their lives will want to know whether they are kind and
considerate, or unkind and unreliable.

She told a story of a family friend who suffered a brain
aneurism while jogging one night. He collapsed, she said, and there were people
who walked off the pathway to avoid him and his pleas for help until one woman
used her cell phone to call for help.

“As you continue to evolve and grow over the years … be the
type of person who will wag more and bark less. Be the person who calls 911.”

Superintendent of Schools Sharon Parker said, “The Class of
2010 has arrived. This is your day…. Each of us in this room is stronger and
better and wiser for your presence in our lives.”

Parker added that the graduates would soon inhale the “scent
of independence,” but that they would also look back at their high school years
with fondness.

She reminded them that they would meet new people in their
lives and that they should present themselves as they want to be known. “Determine
how you want to be known.”

In acknowledging the end of one, and the beginning of
another phase in the graduates’ lives, Parker made reference to former Chadds
Ford resident and School Board President Ed Wandersee.

She mentioned how Wandersee, while chairing a meeting, would
wave his arm at the end of an agenda item and say, “It’s time to move on.”

Following Parker came Class President Tyler Keesling who
said school had been a positive experience. He called Unionville a great place
to learn and it taught him to expect the unexpected and to never stop trying.

In continuing the theme of identity set by Massanari and
Parker, Keesling said, “Life is like Mardi Gras. Pick the character you want to
be.”

After Keesling came a brief speech by another student, Jesse
Kober. He was followed by Mahjub Kwesi Hammond who entertained the crowd with a
26-stanza rap that recalled moments of school life from kindergarten through
high school.

After the final speech—by Teacher of the Year Sharon Kittle—
and the presentation of the Unionville-Chadds Ford Community Scholarship
awards—by Chadds Ford resident Heidi Brown—graduates received their diplomas.
The ceremony ended with caps being tossed in the air followed by the
recessional.