This Philadelphia teacher received a surprise send-off from his students when he retired after teaching music for more than five decades. The beloved teacher Joe Ciccimaro was affectionately referred to as Mr. C by his students. Mr. C directed the performing arts program at the all-boys La Salle College High School for 54 years as per Inside Edition. When the 83-year-old decided that it was time for him to retire, more than 300 of his students came together to be conducted by him for one final time. His former students gathered in the school auditorium to send him off. Among his students was Hugh Panaro, from his class of 1982. Panaro played the title role in "Phantom of the Opera" on Broadway. This goes to show that teachers play such a huge role in creating true masters and work tirelessly towards helping their students achieve big things in life.
After 53 years and a countless number of students impacted by his commitment to the fine arts, Mr. Joe Ciccimaro '57 has taught his last lesson at La Salle College High School.
Thanks to Mr. C for his lifelong dedication to his alma mater - the longest tenured faculty member in… pic.twitter.com/2AGksqdZIM
— La Salle College High School (@lschs) May 10, 2023
People drew several parallels with Mr. C, including GMA comparing his story to that of the movie Mr. Holland's Opus. In the movie, Mr. Holland takes up a job as a music teacher to get a steady paycheck but then he gets little time for his own musical dreams. Be it in movies or real life, teachers make a huge sacrifice to make hundreds, even thousands of dreams come true. “When we walked into his band room, it didn't matter if you were a star on the football field, a star on the basketball court, we walked in, picked up our instruments, sat down at the piano, and we were all one,” Frank Dilella one of Mr. C's former student told Inside Edition. The students planned the surprise overnight to honor Mr. C's work. As per the X post from the school, Ciccimaro is the longest-serving faculty in the history of the school.
The post also wrote about the performance organized by the students saying, "Enjoy a look at his last class - a rendition of Bald Mountain, the last song he conducted at our 2023 Spring Band Concert - and the band playing him out this afternoon with the 'Alma Mater' on his last day." The teacher has created a legacy at the college where he has been teaching since 1968. Mr. C told GMA, "I have to be honest with you. I have never worked a day in my life, that's why I stayed here until I was 83." Mr. C was a musician himself, making him understanding towards kids with artistic talent. Panaro shared that being artistically inclined doesn't earn any extra points in high school, he was bullied, and the only compassionate person was Mr.C, making his success at Broadway possible. Everyone from Mr. C's kids, grandkids, and his students came together for his grand send-off, a testimony to the impact he has made on the lives of people around him.
The performance had a 30-piece plus orchestra and singers coming in from all over the country. Diella said that it was the ultimate thank you and a pitch-perfect homage. The performance was a reflection of what the teacher has done for his community and it was nothing short of iconic. The teacher added that he absolutely loved doing his job and retirement for him would be golf, lots of time with his family, and happy hours that could start before or after 5 post-retirement, he hilariously added.
Ultrasound of human baby.Image via 
IVF animated process.Image via 
A couple speaks with a fertility professional.Image via 
Love, Mom.Photo from Heidi Johnson 
A teen boy having a hard time. 
Hands hold a digital representation of the brain.Image via 
Mother and daughter work a puzzle.Image via 
Man and woman connect under the sunshine.Image via 
The obituary paints a comic, if bleak, picture. 
A Facebook post about the obituary.
Why do some folks use social media but don't engage?
Psychologist says people who never comment on social media share these 5 positive traits
For over 20 years, social media has developed into a staple in many people’s day-to-day lives. Whether it’s to keep in communication with friends and family, following the thoughts of celebrities, or watching cat videos while sipping your morning coffee, there seem to be two types of social media users: commenters and lurkers.
The term “lurker” sounds equally mysterious and insidious, with some social media users writing them off as non-participants at best or voyeurs at worst. However, mindfulness expert Lachlan Brown believes these non-commenters have some very psychologically positive and healthy traits. Let’s take a look at how each one of these traits could be beneficial and see how fruitful lurking might be even though it can drive content creators crazy.
1. Cautious about vulnerability
Consciously or not, making a post online or commenting on one puts you and your words out there. It’s a statement that everyone can see, even if it’s as simple as clicking “like.” Doing so opens yourself up to judgment, with all the good, bad, and potential misinterpretation that comes with it. Non-commenters would rather not open themselves up to that.
These silent users are connected to a concept of self-protection by simply not engaging. By just scrolling past posts or just reading/watching them without commentary, they’re preventing themselves from any downsides of sharing an opinion such as rejection, misunderstanding, or embarrassment. They also have more control on how much of themselves they’re willing to reveal to the general public, and tend to be more open face-to-face or during one-on-one/one-on-few private chats or DMs. This can be seen as a healthy boundary and prevents unnecessary exposure.
Considering many comment sections, especially involving political topics, are meant to stir negative emotional responses to increase engagement, being extra mindful about where, when, and what you comment might not be a bad idea. They might not even take the engagement bait at all. Or if they see a friend of theirs post something vulnerable, they feel more motivated to engage with them personally one-on-one rather than use social media to publicly check in on them.
2. Analytical and reflective mindset
How many times have you gone onto Reddit, YouTube, or any other site and just skimmed past comments that are just different versions of “yes, and,” “no, but,” or “yes, but”? Or the ever insightful, formerly popular comment “First!” in a thread? These silent browsers lean against adding to such noise unless they have some valid and thoughtful contribution (if they bother to comment period).
These non-posters are likely wired on reflective thinking rather than their initial intuition. Not to say that all those who comment aren’t thoughtful, but many tend to react quickly and comment based on their initial feelings rather than absorbing the information, thinking it over, researching or testing their belief, and then posting it. For "lurkers," it could by their very nature to just do all of that and not post it at all, or share their thoughts and findings privately with a friend. All in all, it’s a preference of substance over speed.
3. High sense of self-awareness
Carried over from the first two listed traits, these silent social media users incorporate their concern over their vulnerability and their reflective mindset into digital self-awareness. They know what triggers responses out of them and what causes them to engage in impulsive behavior. It could be that they have engaged with a troll in the past and felt foolish. Or that they just felt sad after a post or got into an unnecessary argument that impacted them offline. By knowing themselves and seeing what’s being discussed, they choose to weigh their words carefully or just not participate at all. It’s a form of self-preservation through restraint.
4. Prefer to observe rather than perform
Some folks treat social media as information, entertainment, or a mix of both, and commenting can feel like they’re yelling at the TV, clapping alone in a movie theater when the credits roll, or yelling “That’s not true!” to a news anchor that will never hear them. But contrary to that, social media is a place where those yells, claps, and accusations can be seen and get a response. By its design, social media is considered by experts and the media as performative, regardless of whether it is positive or negative. Taking all of the previously mentioned traits into account, one can see why they would prefer to “observe the play” rather than get up on the stage of Facebook or X.
On top of that, these non-commenters could be using social media differently than those who choose to fully engage with it. Using this type of navigation, there may be nothing for them to comment about. Some commenters are even vying for this for their mental health. There are articles about how to better curate your social media feeds and manipulate algorithms to create a better social media experience to avoid unnecessary conflict or mentally tiring debate.
If you go on a blocking spree on all of your accounts and just follow the posters that boost you, it could turn your social media into a nice part of your routine as you mainly engage with others face-to-face or privately. In terms of commenting, if your curated Instagram is just following cute dogs and all you have to offer for a comment is “cute dog,” you might just enjoy the picture and then move on with your day rather than join in the noise. These non-commenters aren’t in the show and they’re fine with it.
5. Less motivated by social validation
The last trait that Brown showcases is that social media users who browse without posting tend to be independent from external validation, at least online. Social media is built to grow through feedback loops such as awarding likes, shares, and reposts of your content along with notifications letting you know that a new person follows you or wants to connect. This can lead many people to connect their activity on social media with their sense of self worth, especially with adolescents who are still figuring out their place in the world and have still-developing brains.
Engaging in social media via likes, shares, comments, and posts rewards our brains by having them release dopamine, which makes us feel good and can easily become addictive. For whatever reason, non-commenters don’t rely on social media as a means to gauge their social capital or self worth. This doesn’t make them better than those who do. While some non-commenters could have healthier ways to boost their self worth or release dopamine into their systems, many get that validation from equally unhealthy sources offline. That said, many non-commenters’ silence could be a display of independence and self confidence.
Whether you frequently comment online or don’t, it’s good to understand why you do or don’t. Analyzing your habits can help you determine whether your online engagement is healthy, or needs to be tweaked. With that information, you can then create a healthy social media experience that works for you.