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.
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.”
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.
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