[naviga:h3]Cheer[/naviga:h2]

It’s been a week’s worth of celebrations — both public and private — after the Pittsburgh Penguins defeated the San Jose Sharks on Sunday night and brought home a historic fourth Stanley Cup hockey championship to the city.

We won’t belabor well-worn talking points about Pittsburgh’s tradition of sports excellence, the cementing of Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin’s legacies in Pens lore, or the fact that it’s not likely to happen again next year.

It’s the estimated 380,000 to 400,000 people who packed downtown Pittsburgh on Wednesday to celebrate the Cup’s arrival, that deserve a cheer: no arrests were reported, no property damaged. It was a record-breaking party and people managed to celebrate without creating mayhem or hurting each other — what a novel concept.

That may seem like a low bar to set, but it tells you all you need to know about Pittsburgh sports fans and the pride they take in their teams and their city. Bravo!

[naviga:h3]Jeer [/naviga:h3]

In a stunning display of tone-deafness, Plum Senior High School teacher Drew Zoldak — acquitted Monday of witness intimidation charges connected to an institutional sexual assault case at the district — says he “absolutely” wants to return to teaching at the school.

Absolutely not. Jurors may have found that Zoldak’s conduct — singling out a student victim of sexual assault in class when students asked him why he had been absent — rose to the level of criminal. Still, they all agreed that what he did was wrong.

Mr. Zoldak abused the authority of his position and displayed a horrendous lack of judgment in a moment that called for discretion and maturity. His conduct is emblematic of the kind of culture Plum needs to eradicate if it wants to emerge from this scandal as a reformed and viable school district.

That means showing Mr. Zoldak the door, not welcoming him back into the fold.

[naviga:h3]Cheer [/naviga:h3]

High School graduation season wrapped up on Tuesday, with seniors at Butler School District and Clarence Brown Community School adding their chorus to the hundreds of Butler County students-turned-graduates,

And while it’s true that high school graduation ceremonies often play out the same way — similar traditions observed; similar words of wisdom bestowed upon graduates — that common moment soon gives way to the possibilities and variables of young life.

These students will go on to become soldiers and civilians; engineers and artists; teachers and business executives. They will hold high-powered jobs that shackle them to the office; and menial ones that are shed at the door each afternoon. Some will raise families; others will live lives of solitude, driven by professional or private interests that consume their time.

Every possibility is a testament to the promise of these young people.

Congratulations, graduates. You’re already making us proud.