Free community dinner and motivational presentation sponsored by School District

January 15, 2015

For a great (and free) dinner and a chance for a great motivational experience, consider attending a special evening sponsored by Boundary County School District 101. This event features motivational speaker Manny Scott, who will be in Bonners Ferry for two days next week. He will be working with area students on those days, but on the evening of Thursday, January 22, he will give a free presentation to the public following a no charge spaghetti dinner at the Boundary County Middle School cafeteria. Mr. Scott's story is as follows: In room 203 at Woodrow Wilson High in Long Beach, California, an amazing story was created between a teacher and her class of students. Erin Gruwell had just obtained her degree, and her first job was teaching a classroom of students who were labeled "unteachable." These students were exposed to violence, drugs, and alcohol first-hand. Erin worked two extra jobs so she was able to pay for books for the children's use. These books included Schindler's List, Anne Frank’s story in The Diary of a Young Girl, Zlata's Diary, and Night. These books showed people enduring through a hard time in their lives, and how they managed to get out of it and survive. Erin had the students keep a journal about what they were feeling and experiencing in their lives. These journals were later made into a book and published as, The Freedom Writers Diary--How a Teacher and 150 Teens Used Writing to Change Themselves and The World Around Them. These "unteachable" students worked hard to not only better themselves but better their community. Each one of them graduated from high school, and went on to attend college. Today this book of journals is an inspiration that anyone is able to learn about, they just have to have the motivation and the desire to want to. Any teacher can impact a child's life in a tremendous way and leave an impression on them for a life time. Manny Scott was one of Erin’s original students, and his story is told in part in the 2007 hit movie, Freedom Writers, as well as in the book The Freedom Writer’s Diary. In his journal, Manny began writing—-and dreaming about—-new, more fulfilling chapters in his life, chapters filled with healing, hope, perseverance, and possibility. Through very hard work, and with the help of others, Manny has achieved many of those dreams. In 2007, he founded Ink International, an educational consulting team that is preventing thousands of suicides, raising student achievement, and improving teacher effectiveness. Through Ink’s online Professional Speaker Academy, Manny is training people how to survive and thrive as professional speakers. He is the author of How to R.E.A.C.H. Youth Today, a book that shares several practices and principles that engage, equip, and empower people everywhere to reach people who seem unreachable. Manny is a married father of three, a pilot, a Ph.D. student, and a busy motivational speaker. He has given presentations to over a million leaders, educators, volunteers, and students worldwide with his authentic, inspiring messages of hope, speaking to over 125 groups a year over the past decade. The event is at the Boundary County Middle School, with dinner from 5:00 p.m. until 6:00 p.m., and Mr. Scott's presentation following from 6:30 p.m. until 7:30 p.m. As mentioned, there is no charge for the dinner or for the presentation. To see the official poster for this community event, click here.