Speaker brings students to their feet
With the sounds of Kanye West blaring and an energy matched only by kids in a toy store, motivational speaker Bill Cordes welcomed Marion High School students to his "classroom" Monday.
His "classroom" was the MHS gym, and his students were Marion teenagers.
Cordes, who has spoken to more than 70,000 high school students across the country, quickly engaged the teens by asking them to name the group or singer of each song playing through the speakers. From AC/DC to Nelly, it took just seconds each time for at least one student to say the correct answer.
Cordes applauded one student who knew the answer to the question: What is Will Smith's last name.
But laughter aside, Cordes talked to the students about making the right choice, or in his words, "not making the dumb choice," when coming to a fork in the road.
He told the students the decisions they make between the ages of 15-18 could affect the rest of their lives.
"You've got a whole lotta living to do," he told the teens.
The tide turned serious however when he was honest with the students, and told them sometimes those "dumb" decisions, most notably the use of drugs and alcohol, can lead to death.
"It's a very empty feeling," he said of someone dying long before their time. "But I'm not here to just lecture you on drugs and alcohol."
He showed them in fun ways how to not only survive high school, but how to make a difference. He used his now-famous acronym, YOGOWYPI (You Only Get Out What You Put In), to explain to the teens how to get the most out of life.
Seven of the students had heard him speak before, but it was obvious he had the attention of nearly all that were in attendance.
