June 8, 2011

It was the final gathering for
Unionville High School seniors as seniors, and the final graduating class with
Sharon Parker as school superintendent.

Almost 360 blue-gowned seniors
received their diplomas during the ceremony held at the Carpenter Center on the
campus of the University of Delaware.

Parker’s address was a
recollection of her own high school graduation where she invoked lyrics from
Billy Joel saying, “These are the times to remember,” adding her own comment
that, “Most of the songs of your lifetime haven’t been written yet.”

She spoke of the fleeting
quality of youth, recalling a time when her hair was blonde, not gray, but
advised, “Part of you will always be 18.”

She closed with lyrics from Bob
Dylan saying, “May you be forever young.”

Parker’s address dovetailed
with that of Principal Paula Massanari who spoke of the “priceless and
bittersweet” aspect of graduation.

She told students that their
education had been priceless and that their future memories—especially those of
leaving Unionville— will be bittersweet.

“Isn’t there a teacher you’ll
never forget, one you’ll tell your children and grandchildren about?”

Graduating senior Savvy Leiser,
daughter of School Board Director Jeff Leiser, recalled her travels through
school years through the letters students had to write in middle school,
letters that spoke of early teen expectations.

“Some…were a little
far-fetched,” she said. “For one thing, I wrote that by graduation I would own
a DeLorean.”

The reference was to a car in a
favorite movie, “Back to the Future,” and how things have changed in just a
handful of years.

In reflecting on that letter,
she said it indicated how good her education had been since it allowed her—and
her classmates—the opportunity to improve themselves.

“How much better are we now
than the people we used to be?”

Another student speaker was
Kacey Ward Stewart. Stewart wasn’t so much a speaker as a performer. After a
few opening remarks, he doffed the cap and gown and took up a guitar and
harmonica and sang an original song about “The best coming from Unionville.”

Another student speaker, Max
Berger, summed up his experiences saying he wants his future children to grow
up in a community such as Unionville.

About Rich Schwartzman

Rich Schwartzman has been reporting on events in the greater Chadds Ford area since September 2001 when he became the founding editor of The Chadds Ford Post. In April 2009 he became managing editor of ChaddsFordLive. He is also an award-winning photographer.

• Mail
|
• More Posts(3292)

For Bill Rose, music is about
community and maybe a little bit about therapy, too.

“I do lean on my guitar, at
times,” Rose said. “But, it’s also about community and raising money for a
greater cause. It offers an opportunity to share my thoughts.”

Rose, a Chadds Ford Township
resident, made the comment shortly before performing at The Kennett Flash. The
performance was a benefit concert for the West Grove Garage.

The Garage, currently in
Kennett Square only, is a youth oriented facility where middle and high school
students can go after school to get help with homework, use a computer or shoot
some pool. The West Grove facility has not yet been built, but Rose, his Rose
Project band, and other interests are raising money for that end.

Rose, 29, is a Johnstown native
who’s lived in Chadds Ford for about a year, though he’s been in the general
area for more than three years. He describes his music as magnetic, acoustic,
alternative and progressive.

“I use the word magnetic
because the way I write, the way I get my sound…it’s brought in by the
environment I’m in. It’s brought in by the political climate. It’s brought in
by different travels. I think it’s magnetic. It pulls in things that are
happening in my life,” he said an interview in Chadds Ford. “It’s almost an
acoustic, melodic, soft rock feel.”

Rose has lived in other
countries, Germany and places in South America, and he acknowledges that much
of his work is political. There’s a strong Bob Dylan and John Lennon influence
to The Rose Project music, according to a bio blurb on the group’s MySpace
page.

The Rose Project recently
released a new CD, “Small Smoke and a Cup of Tea.” A terrorist explosion at a
rugby club in Uganda during the World Cup soccer matches last year inspired the
title track.

Musically the cuts tie
together, but there was no intended theme, he said. However, Rose added: “When
I write, there’s always a sense of greater purpose or reasons for being on this
earth. I think those questions are always in the songs that I’m writing,
whether I’m writing about love, about spirituality, whether I’m writing about a
political situation, I think there’s always a turn around question—why is this
happening. There are a lot of questions being asked in this record. It’s not
just me telling my point of view…Maybe my target audience is the listener who
wants to think a little more about his or her situation.”

As is often the case, Rose’s
music career did not come first and he still has his “day job.”

He has a degree in business and
information systems management and spent several years working for attorneys in
computer forensics. That, he said, wasn’t very fulfilling, so he made a change.
He now works for the Chester County Intermediate Unit as a program coordinator
putting together after-school programs for Latino students and their families,
he said.

That led him to going after a
master’s degree in international development through Eastern University. It was
that program that had him going to Kampala, Uganda where he experienced the
rugby club bombing. He’s scheduled to return to Uganda this summer, he said.

Music is neither primary nor
secondary to Rose. He said it all comes together. His guitar is with him during
all his travels. He said he wound up playing an eight-song impromptu concert at a
bus stop during a recent trip to Costa Rica.

“That’s one of my favorite
things about music, when it just happens naturally,” he said. “I’m always going
to be playing music.”

Several Rose Project tunes,
including Love Will Come from the recently released CD can be previewed at http://www.myspace.com/billroseproject

About Rich Schwartzman

Rich Schwartzman has been reporting on events in the greater Chadds Ford area since September 2001 when he became the founding editor of The Chadds Ford Post. In April 2009 he became managing editor of ChaddsFordLive. He is also an award-winning photographer.

• Mail
|
• More Posts(3292)

Buttercup is an adult female rabbit that is available for adoption at the Chester County SPCA. She came to the shelter on May 13, as a stray. Buttercup was actually found in a home during a home inspection. Someone moved and left her behind. She is now looking for someone who will make she is never left behind again. Buttercup is a very sweet and social rabbit. She would make great pets for a first time rabbit owner. Buttercup is now looking for a responsible care giver who will give her the love and attention she deserves. If you are able to provide Buttercup a home, visit the Chester County SPCA at 1212 Phoenixville Pike in West Goshen or call 610-692-6113. Buttercup’s registration number is 96803845. To meet some of the other animals available for adoption, visit the shelter or log onto www.ccspca.org.

About CFLive Staff

See Contributors Page https://chaddsfordlive.com/writers/

• Mail
|
• More Posts(8333)