Be it a gym class injury, a severe paper cut on your left pinky, or an unbearable stomach ache that just so happens to strike just before 6th period’s Calculus test that you forgot to study for, she sees you at your very worst hours. Yet even during the edgiest of situations, she manages to sustain a perfectly calm disposition while welcoming each and every student she encounters with a genuine “hello.”  After 20 years of brightening the darkest of our days, North Penn High School’s beloved health suite secretary Mrs. Mary Ann DiCesare has decided that the time has come to retire from North Penn and continue on to the next phase of her life.

Throughout her 20 years of service at North Penn, Mrs. DiCesare has been a first-hand witness to our school’s notable advancements brought on by each passing year.

“Technology changed big time for me. At first I was using an electric typewriter and then slowly was introduced to the computer.  Also on the technology line, there were maybe two fax machines in the building, where today we can fax and scan straight from our computers and copiers.  We’ve come a long way,” she reflected.

Though the technology has progressed, the challenges of being the first contact person in the health suite have subsisted throughout her career. Mrs. DiCesare’s toughest challenge was interacting with a student who was upset or angry. She always tried her absolute best to “think of the right word path to calm the students down and not add to their distress before seeing the nurses,” as she explained.

Aside from being the pulse that keeps the Health Suite beating, Mrs. DiCesare, fueled by her lighthearted nature, is often the life of the party, especially during a particular school event that took place in 2001.

“North Penn hosted an ‘Oldies Show’ in the auditorium and it featured a couple groups from the ’60s,” she explained.  “Five of us from the audience were selected to go up on stage and participate in a dance contest…And I won that dance contest!”

Mrs. DiCesare’s success in the Oldies Night competition can be partially attributed to her childhood as well as the extra-curricular activities she participated in as a teenager.

“I grew up in South Philly and went to all the local dances. It was a lot of fun, a lot of fun, ” she reminisced.  “Also, in high school, I was in, well we called it ‘glee club,’ which was like chorus here, and I was in student government.”

As for her post North Penn agenda, Mrs. DiCesare plans on keeping it simple.

“For my retirement, I plan on enjoying my retirement,” she joked. “No big travels plans, but some of my friends from other states have extended an invitation to visit, so we may do that. But nothing out of the country.”

However, the part of retirement that she is most looking forward to is spending time with her grandsons. She has five of them ranging from ages five to fourteen.

“During the course of the school year, my younger ones have always asked if I can go on their field trips, and of course with my work commitment, I couldn’t readily do that.  But now, I’m going to have a designated spot on their school bus.”

“It’s always the people you miss the most,” DiCesare reflected. During her 20 years of work, she and the other secretaries, nurses, and staff members in general have formed lifelong bonds that will likely span far beyond their times at North Penn.  However, one thing is for certain; the feeling is mutual, and Mrs. DiCesare will be genuinely missed by all of North Penn.