Unionville High School sent more than 300 young men and women out into the world during the school’s 92nd commencement on June 9. And of the 336 graduates, 96 percent will be going to college, according to Unionville-Chadds Ford School District Superintendent John Sanville.
This year’s guest speaker was science teacher and Educator of the Year Mark Lacianca, who, quoting George Bernard Shaw, told the Class of 2015: “Do what must be done. This may not be happiness, but it is greatness.”
Lacianca said he would argue that achieving greatness brings happiness, and challenged the graduates to be great.
Graduates Julia Madrak and Ian Larson perform an original number during the UHS graduation at the Bob Carpenter Center on June 9.
He then returned to Shaw, quoting, “Life isn’t about finding yourself; life is about creating yourself.”
Creating yourself, he said, means figuring out what you need to do to feel greatness. Lacianca further said he sees greatness everyday in his family, in his children who give life their all in either music and sports, and in his wife, who created herself and found greatness by leaving a top law firm in corporate litigation to become a district judge and a great mother.
He said he’s seen greatness in the Unionville community as people came together to raise hundreds of thousands of dollars to fight muscular dystrophy.
“Each of you is in the process of crossing that proverbial bridge to join the adult world. You are an incredible group, and the future is bright…My goal has always been to create an environment where you are ultimately accountable for your own motivation and your own action…In the end, your success comes from following the plan set forth, doing what must be done. You might not always be happy, but you will achieve the goal of the class, the career, or the sport and reach greatness.”
The 2015 commencement was the last for Principal Paula Massanari, who is retiring. She offered what she called “advice for the ages,” using sayings from signs and posters teachers had in their classrooms. Themes such as “What happens tomorrow depends upon today,” and “For success, attitude is as important as ability.”
But Massanari also stressed her own views on the importance of mentoring, of being one and of finding one as the graduates go forward in business and in education. She told them to actively seek out someone who would offer the proper advice and gentle prodding.
She concluded by telling the class of advice she had received: You can’t make everyone happy, so don’t make that your goal. Rather, she said, “Work hard to earn the respect of those you respect.”
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.
Unionville-Chadds Ford School District directors are less than a week away from voting on a proposed budget, but at least one detail of the budget is unclear. What will the tax increase be?
In May, the board approved — by a 5-4 vote — a proposed final budget calling for a tax increase of 2.01 percent, weighted between Chester and Delaware counties. Under that scenario, Chester County property owners would see a millage rate change from 26.44 mills to 26.92, while those in Delaware County would see their rate go from 22.20 to 22.83.
In real dollars, Chester County property owners with property assessed at $26,000 would pay an additional $126 per year, while Delaware County property owners would pay an additional $160 per year.
Directors also considered an average increase of 2.5 percent and 2.85 percent, but during the June 8 work session, the board discussed the possibility of a 2.25 percent increase.
Discussion revealed that no matter which increase is passed — even the lower 2.01 percent increase — all education programs would be fully funded and the teachers could still receive a fair and mutually acceptable contract.
The difference, according to Director Gregg Lindner, is what would happen during the next several years. He favors the 2.5 percent increase because the 2.01 percent increase is too shortsighted.
“As a school director, I do not focus on the short term relative to financial planning in the district. I don’t do that in my business, and I don’t do that while looking at the district’s finances and tax policy. One gets in trouble looking only at the short term,” he said.
He added that the 2.01 percent increase would use up too much of the district’s reserve funds.
Lindner continued, saying the state-mandated Act I limits on tax increases force districts to look at the long-term effects of their budgets, but one of the exceptions to those limits — the contribution to PSERS, the Pennsylvania State Education Retirement System — will be going away after the 2016-2017 academic year.
He said previous cuts made in consecutive years led to a decrease in programs and an increase in elementary-school class size. Too small a tax increase now could lead to that happening again.
“I have seen this movie before…and I do not care to see the sequel,” he said.
Fellow Director Kathy Do said she agreed with Lindner that the 2.5 percent increase would be a safer choice, while Jeff Hellrung said he was comfortable either way.
Keith Knauss, who proposed the 2.01 percent increase last month, held to that proposal. Steve Simonson and Robert Sage agreed.
Simonson said he wasn’t in favor of accumulating taxpayer revenue.
“There is a risk that we could get into our reserves if estimates are wrong, but I think I’m willing to take that risk,” Simonson said.
Sage said the current proposal is a “responsible expense plan.”
“Our programs are fully funded. There are no cuts to programs, no changes to class sizes. Where we do have a decision to make is how we raise revenue to cover those expenses…We should only take from the taxpayers the amount that is needed to deliver our topnotch education program,” he said.
Sage went on to say the district has traditionally had a shortfall budget, but would wind up with a surplus.
“We always underspend,” he said. “Not once in 26 years have we spent 100 percent of our budget. On average, over those 26 years, we spent $1.6 million less each year than budgeted,” Sage said.
He explained that the district estimates expenses conservatively — overestimating costs — and only spends about 97 percent of what was originally anticipated.
Sage said that if 2015-2016 is a normal year, “we will end the fiscal year with an operating surplus of more than $1 million, even if we pass the 2.01 percent increase.”
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.
“Thanks to life that has given me so much … laughter … and tears so I can tell happiness from grief. … The two things my song is made of … the song of you … my own song.”
These are the final lyrics, translated from Spanish, of Gracias a la Vida, “Thanks to Life.” Violeta Parra was its Chilean composer who sadly committed suicide in 1967.
Perhaps it is the irony of her death in light of these hopeful words that makes them all the more poignant. The song is fresh in my mind, having sung it in the Anna Crusis choir in Philadelphia last weekend.
Actually, the past months have been a burst of sounds, images, thoughts, and feelings that parallel the lyrics’ message. My Boston friends go to St. John Virgin Islands to get away from it all. While they are savoring the beauty and the quiet, a vacationing Delaware family on the same island have been poisoned—and paralyzed—by an exterminating company’s flagrant misuse of a banned pesticide. A passenger train derails in Philadelphia; eight people die; emergency teams, Red Cross responds: I witness families bereft. We attend my son-in-law’s master’s graduation ceremonies, cheering him on. My daughter announces her pregnancy. The weave of life-death-life, happiness and grief meet and mingle. Joy is not about saccharin happy: it is about the profound connection of delight and darkness.
Most recent, I attend my husband’s 50th alumni reunion at MIT. To do this, I boarded the train at quarter to midnight, after a long concert rehearsal. I wonder when the train will curve past the area of the accident and send prayerful thoughts as wheels turn. I arrive in Cambridge, passing by the memorial to Officer Sean Collier, slain by the Boston Marathon bomber, in time to raise a toast to my spouse as he and his class of 1965 lead the graduation procession. A fraternity brother, groomsman at our wedding forty-five years ago, died suddenly just a week before. More life-death-life dance.
Megan Smith, chief technology officer of the United States, part of President Obama’s inner circle of advisors, gives the convocation and her theme is “heart.” She invokes the heart of MIT as being about inclusivity, collaborations, service and teamwork. Her words are indeed about the life of heart that is connection with and care of others.
I laugh and eat and drink with friends and family at the festivities after commencement. Needing to get back to sing in two Anna Crusis concerts, I catch the early morning train the next day—the day of Beau Biden’s funeral. Life-death-life again. I silently study my music, breaking away to watch the harbors, the ferries, ospreys, eagles, swoosh by my window. Is this another song?
Coming into Philly, the train rides the curve of tragedy. I pause. Once in Wilmington, I drive to Archmere Academy for an alumni reception for Beau Biden. My connection is tangential but my son attended Archmere as did the Biden family. Life-death-life again. Beau noted for kindness and service, dies too young. I converse with an Archmere officer whom I recognize. He says “losing a child is tragic.” I say, yes, “It’s staggering.” He says, yes, “My daughter who was 18 died in her sleep 10 months ago.” We embrace a moment. Yet here he stands considering the grief of others from his own experience. Life-death-life. My cousin posts a photo from downstate Delaware about Beau’s memorials. Her daughter died suddenly not two years ago. She connects her grief to her compassion here too. Life-death-life.
On to Philly again: to sing Gracias a la Vida. Anna Crusis sings in heartfelt union: may our grief know joy and may we be grateful for life. Of course, choir and audience are warp and woof of the weave of life too. A child yells towards the stage, “Mommy, I’m here!” A singer remembers her husband, who died of ALS only a year ago. Friends of mine are in the audience—they too know loss, of a son. Life-death-life stories are our constant.
Gracias a la vida!
* Kayta Curzie Gajdos holds a doctorate in counseling psychology and is in private practice in Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania. She welcomes comments at MindMatters@DrGajdos.com or 610-388-2888. Past columns are posted to www.drgajdos.com.
Dr. Kathleen Curzie Gajdos ("Kayta") is a licensed psychologist (Pennsylvania and Delaware) who has worked with individuals, couples, and families with a spectrum of problems. She has experience and training in the fields of alcohol and drug addictions, hypnosis, family therapy, Jungian theory, Gestalt therapy, EMDR, and bereavement. Dr. Gajdos developed a private practice in the Pittsburgh area, and was affiliated with the Family Therapy Institute of Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, having written numerous articles for the Family Therapy Newsletter there. She has published in the American Psychological Association Bulletin, the Family Psychologist, and in the Swedenborgian publications, Chrysalis and The Messenger. Dr. Gajdos has taught at the college level, most recently for West Chester University and Wilmington College, and has served as field faculty for Vermont College of Norwich University the Union Institute's Center for Distance Learning, Cincinnati, Ohio. She has also served as consulting psychologist to the Irene Stacy Community MH/MR Center in Western Pennsylvania where she supervised psychologists in training. Currently active in disaster relief, Dr. Gajdos serves with the American Red Cross and participated in Hurricane Katrina relief efforts as a member of teams from the Department of Health and Human Services' Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.Now living in Chadds Ford, in the Brandywine Valley of eastern Pennsylvania, Dr. Gajdos combines her private practice working with individuals, couples and families, with leading workshops on such topics as grief and healing, the impact of multigenerational grief and trauma shame, the shadow and self, Women Who Run with the Wolves, motherless daughters, and mediation and relaxation. Each year at Temenos Retreat Center in West Chester, PA she leads a griefs of birthing ritual for those who have suffered losses of procreation (abortions, miscarriages, infertility, etc.); she also holds yearly A Day of Re-Collection at Temenos.Dr. Gajdos holds Master's degrees in both philosophy and clinical psychology and received her Ph.D. in counseling at the University of Pittsburgh. Among her professional affiliations, she includes having been a founding member and board member of the C.G. Jung Educational Center of Pittsburgh, as well as being listed in Who's Who of American Women. Currently, she is a member of the American Psychological Association, The Pennsylvania Psychological Association, the Delaware Psychological Association, the American Family Therapy Academy, The Association for Death Education and Counseling, and the Delaware County Mental Health and Mental Retardation Board. Woven into her professional career are Dr. Gajdos' pursuits of dancing, singing, and writing poetry.
During a packed supervisors’ meeting on Monday, June 8 – held in what most residents deem a substandard Pocopson Township building – the Barnard House, a historic landmark undergoing renovations to replace it, got back on track.
Pocopson Township residents agree that the township’s current building does not meet the township’s needs; some disagree about whether Barnard House will provide an efficient and cost-effective solution.
After listening to a half-hour presentation prepared by the Barnard House Steering Committee, remarks from architect Dennis Melton, and more than 30 comments from residents and non-residents, Supervisor Georgia Brutscher, who chairs the steering committee, and Supervisors’ Chairman Barney Leonard, voted to approve the next step in the project: the Phase Two Scope of Work.
The 2-1 vote will pave the way for preparing bids for work inside the building, a former way station for escaping slaves in the Underground Railroad movement; the bulk of the exterior work has been completed. During two previous meetings, Leonard and Supervisor Ricki Stumpo both voted to table the measure, identifying concerns about the building’s security and functionality.
Before the vote, Stumpo reiterated her misgivings, questioning the wisdom of moving forward when key issues regarding safety and efficiency have yet to be addressed. Like others who expressed reservations about advancing the project, Stumpo said she supports preserving the historic building.
“This is about where we need our township facilities,” she said, referencing two studies that suggested the space was ill-suited to the township’s administrative needs. “I think we need to look at other options.” She also noted concerns about cost, explaining that the last phase of the project included $35,000 in overruns.
Leonard emphasized that Monday night’s vote did not give a green light to the interior work, but rather approved the work needed in advance of it. According to a proposal submitted by Melton, his work will not exceed $13,000; however, an additional $6,800 will go to DEDC, LLC, a Delaware-based engineering and design firm, township records said.
After the meeting, Leonard said his position has not changed; he said he received more information about the process through discussions with Melton. Leonard said the clarifications he still seeks should be addressed in what he termed “specification exercises” during the Phase Two Scope of Work process.
He said Melton would meet with the staff to discuss the layout. “We have the ability to shift things around,” Leonard said.
During a half-hour slide presentation, Lauressa McNemar, a member of the Barnard House Steering Committee, presented an overview of the project, which dates back to the 1970s when township officials began searching for a new township building. The township assumed ownership of Barnard House and its surrounding 68 acres from Chester County in 2008 for $1 with the goal of preserving it for use as a township building, public meeting space, and a home for the Kennett Underground Railroad Museum.
McNemar said that the exterior work is nearing completion and that the committee anticipates the interior work would be finished in 2016. At that point, the township could consider adding a large meeting room at an estimated cost of $255,000; it was eliminated from the current plan for financial reasons. The cost to the township for the past seven years has been $528,340, McNemar said.
The estimate to complete phase two is $650,000, which would be financed through a 20-year, $750,000 loan, an expense included in the 2015 budget. McNemar estimated the total cost of the project at $1.25 million.
“Can we afford this?” McNemar asked. “Yes, we are in excellent financial shape.”
Melton added that he believes the building is “well-suited to the needs described” by the township. But he said some issues would be revisited for confirmation and updates. He said he read the other studies suggesting that the space didn’t work and “was a bit disappointed” because they did not contain useful information.
“The space planner was not looking at this in a broad enough way,” he said.
Most of the residents who spoke in favor of advancing the project cited the building’s historic significance. E. Barnard Baily, patriarch of Baily’s Dairy, said that while he doesn’t favor tax increases, he believes preserving the historic home represents a great opportunity. “We deserve better than this garage,” he said, referencing the current township building.
Jean Conary, a member of the steering committee, described the Barnard House as precious for the township as well as the county. “How can we deny the repurposing of it?” she asked.
But those who opposed the vote to move forward all said they favored preserving Barnard House; however, they questioned whether trying to cram a township building into it served everyone’s best interests. Several suggested that the issue should be put on the ballot, giving the residents who would be paying for it a voice in deciding the building’s fate.
One of them, Mike Mulholland, likened the township’s acquisition of the house to being given a free horse, which then has to be maintained. “Be careful of what you take for free; you’ll pay the rest of your life,” he warned.
Randy Mims pointed out that the approximately 60 people who attended last night’s meeting wouldn’t fit into the proposed new facility. “It’s not an efficient township building,” he said, urging the township to consider other options.
The majority of the non-residents who spoke were affiliated with the Kennett Underground Railroad Center. Chris Densmore, a Pennsbury resident, said lots of places claim participation in the Underground Railroad, but evidence substantiates the role of Barnard House. “You guys have got the absolute real thing,” he said. He suggested that the best way to preserve such a resource is to establish a use for it.
After the meeting, Brutscher said the presentation should have included more information about the future cost to the township. With an interest rate of 2.604 over 20 years, the loan for the Barnard House will require the same payment – about $49,000 per year – as the township’s previous projects for parks and public works. Those are now paid off. “It will be same thing we’ve been paying,” Brutscher said.
In other business on Monday night, the supervisors agreed to start posting information about Pocopson’s Right-to-Know requests on the township’s web site. Entries would include the date of the request, the requestor, the time and cost to process the request, and the documentation it generated. Leonard said the idea came from the Pennsylvania State Association of Township Supervisors’ conference.
Leonard said many commercial entities are using the process to gather data that they should be compiling at their own expense. He said townships that started posting the information saw a decrease in frivolous Right-to-Knows. He added that the process increases transparency and also shows residents “how much unfunded mandates cost.”
At Stumpo’s urging, the policy will be revisited after six months to determine whether it proves burdensome for township employees.
Mary “Betty” Burnett, 82, of West Grove, died Tuesday, June 9, at the Chester County Hospital. She was the wife of Robert B. Burnett, with whom she shared 65 years of marriage.
Born in West Chester, she was the daughter of the late John J. and Edythe Fulton McDonaugh.
She was a homemaker and enjoyed sewing, playing Bingo and being with her family and friends.
In addition to her husband, she is survived by three sons, Robert B. Burnett, Jr. of Exton, James B. Burnett and his wife Susan of West Grove, and Dennis W. Burnett of Milton, Del., three brothers, James R. McDonaugh of Avondale, William McDonaugh of Coatesville, and Robert McDonaugh of Landenberg, and five grandchildren, Dennis, Jr., Jenny, Paige, Brooks and Chester.
Betty was predeceased by two brothers, Jack McDonaugh and Richard “Freckle” McDonaugh and one sister, Lucy Couden.
You are invited to visit with her family and friends from 10 to 11 on Saturday morning, June 13, at the Kuzo & Grieco Funeral Home, 250 West State Street in Kennett Square. Her funeral services will follow at 11. Burial will be in Union Hill Cemetery, Route 82, Kennett Square, PA.
Neighbors in Business (NIB) welcome George Thorpe to hear about the Friends of Brandywine Battlefield. NIB is a corporate sponsor of the upcoming Blue Rocks Baseball Benefit. Ninety seven people from the Chadds Ford area will meet at Frawley Stadium, watch the game, fireworks and support Friends of Brandywine Battlefield.
Thorpe gave an overview of the Battle of the Brandywine, the Battlefield Park and the park’s transition from management by the State of Pennsylvania to a not-for-profit organization. The Park offers summer camp for area students. http://brandywinebattlefield.org/
Survivors and their caregivers walk the lap honoring them.
The Kennett – Unionville Relay for Life concluded Saturday Morning, June 6, with over 400 people having participated and raising over $60,000. This was an increase of over 60% in participants and over 70% in funds raised from last year. All the funds raised support the American Cancer Society’s research and patient support programs.
“The spread of ages among the top three fund-raising teams demonstrates this was a total community event.” said Jen Dresser, one of the event organizers. “The first two teams in fund raising, Team Hope and Team Life, were organized by students and the third team was Kendal-Crosslands Communities. Clearly that covers a wide age range and mix of our local community residents.”
The fourteen hour Relay event included support from local organizations such as the Kennett Area Y, which provided instructors to lead Zumba, Hula Hoop and other classes on the infield of the Unionville High School track. The Kennett and Unionville School District administrators closed out the Relay with a free community breakfast for everyone, whether they walked the track or not.
Other activities included the Survivor’s lap which recognizes those in the community who are in treatment or have beaten cancer, and the luminaria lap, which recognizes those who have lost their fight with cancer. Thanks to the good weather, hundreds stayed to camp overnight when they took a break from walking the track.
One unique addition this year was a father and daughter team who ran 50 miles each within the 14 hours of the event. They are preparing for an upcoming marathon and used the Relay to test their preparedness while raising funds for the American Cancer Society.
Donations can still be made to the Kennett – Unionville Relay for Life through August by going to www.relayforlife.org/PAkennettunionville. One participating organization, the Longwood Rotary Club, has not closed out its fundraising efforts yet. They still have several weeks of “flocking” households with their flocks of pink flamingos. “Every “flocking” has been paid for by a friend of that family, so we can’t stop until we have finished all those ordered” said Dawn Talley. “This was a far more successful and fun way to raise funds than we imagined.”
