When the school year comes to a close, Cathedral Catholic will lose one of its cherished teachers. After 28 years of teaching religion at Uni and Cathedral, Mr. Daniel Spellacy has officially announced his retirement.

As the news spread of Mr. Spellacy’s impending retirement, faculty and students alike expressed their surprise and sadness about his decision. A former student of Mr. Spellacy’s, Junior Michael Leone, says, “People really look up to Mr. Spellacy. He is an all-around great teacher, and always has interesting stories to tell.”

Mr. Spellacy reflects on his long career and remembers with fondness how God led him on his path of becoming a school teacher, even though he claims that at first, teaching “was the last thing I wanted to do in high school!” But with 28 years under his belt, Mr. Spellacy enthuses that teaching has been a wonderful experience for him. “I have had a blast sharing God with every student I’ve taught,” he says. “I have never gotten tired of it.”

But despite all the favorable elements of his job, Mr. Spellacy says that he will not miss one thing, the bane of many a high school teacher’s career: grading.

Mr. Spellacy has enjoyed many memorable moments while teaching at both Uni and Cathedral. “My students are inquisitive and have a sincere desire to know God. [Their] trust, love, respect, and friendship, and the greetings on the street, in restaurants, airports, and stores all over the country…these are some of the best things about working with students from Cathedral Catholic and Uni!”

Of his teaching legacy, Mr. Spellacy says, “I have had the honor of working with students who are now making a difference in our world today as mothers or fathers, business people, doctors, entertainers, lawyers, professional athletes, and teachers.” But there is one thing that Mr. Spellacy is now anxiously awaiting – for one of his current or previous students to become a priest or a nun. So if God is calling you, Mr. Spellacy would love some help completing his wish list!

Summing up his teaching career, Mr. Spellacy says that he is genuinely grateful to have fulfilled his duty of spreading God’s word to those he has taught. “Because His Wisdom trumped mine, I have been blessed with all of you. For this, I am eternally grateful.”

It is with great sadness that the Cathedral Catholic family bids farewell to the esteemed religion teacher better known as “Papa Spell.” But in his usual, cheerful voice, Mr. Spellacy remains positive and says, “I guess all good things come to an end!”