Richard Sciacca, teacher for 33 years, passed away on Nov. 24, 2025 due to lymphoma. Sciacca was born in New Jersey on Mar. 2, 1964 but later moved to Fla. and attended Palm Beach Gardens High School.
Sciacca went to Stetson University for his Bachelor’s degree in History and Nova Southeastern for his Master’s degree in Social Studies Education.
Sciacca had two kids, Justine and Grant Sciacca, with his wife Melissa Sciacca.
Sciacca worked at Jupiter High School (JHS) most recently as the Advanced Placement (AP) World History teacher and was also the sponsor of a gaming club at JHS called “Strategies and Tactics.”
Many of his students can recall the way Sciacca was as a teacher, explaining his uplifting and kind demeanor. He would often use different voices while teaching and put in effort for his class to have a welcoming atmosphere.
“He always found a way to brighten the mood in any situation. He always told dad jokes,” Alex Diaz, junior who had Sciacca as a teacher, said.
Along with the jokes, he also established a personal connection with his students. One student recalled how he had a nickname for her friend, Ellyson Godinho, “Big E.”
Sciacca’s guidance and attitude are still evident even a year after his last year teaching. “Throughout the four years that he got cancer, he would try to come back and teach,” Becca Hanssen, AP United States History teacher, said.
Due to being in and out of treatments, Sciacca was not present during the full 2024-2025 school year.
“We didn’t have him the whole year, we just got him for the last half of the year,” Caroline McCarthy, a junior who had Sciacca as a sophomore, said.
Despite not being a full-year teacher for the current juniors, many of them can explain the impact he had on them and how effective a teacher he was.
“It really affected me that he passed away because he really was a great teacher,” Diaz said.
Sciacca was very engaging and took time to make sure his students understood the content. He put quality teaching first and took priority in making sure his students were successful.
“He was active and would really talk a lot to the students to make sure we were all on the same page. He really tried to keep us centered and on task,” Diaz said.
Not only on his students, but Sciacca had a substantial influence on his colleagues as well. He was a teacher loved by staff both in and out of the social studies department, known by almost the whole school.
“[Sciacca had] literally no negatives, he was professional, he was really good to the kids, he was knowledgeable about his subject, absolute top-shelf teacher,” Michael DeLeonardo, AICE Classical Studies and AICE Global Perspectives teacher, along with Student Government Advisor at JHS said.
Sciacca was also well-known for his professionalism, with his repeated outfits bringing comfort to those who surrounded him.
“I always think about him in his tie, all professional, in his khakis ready to go. Saying good morning and just being able to talk to him and having those daily interactions,” Hanssen said. “Always just very kind and very welcoming.”
Outside of teaching, Sciacca had interests in working out, his faith and board games. He was also very family oriented.
“He was very devoted to his family. He talked about his family and his kids all the time, you could tell how important they were to him,” Hanssen said.
Sciacca was a person of commitment, commitment to his students, his job and to his family. It is undeniable that his legacy at JHS is one that every student and every staff member will appreciate and honor.
