Written by Marie Kane |
Image by Twitter

On Friday, September 1 at the end of the school day, leadership speaker Ed Gerety came to Morgan. He spoke of leadership, kindness, and had us do some exercises with a partner.

Ed Gerety has been working as a professional speaker for 25 years now. His favorite part of having this job is connecting with students, hearing their stories of courage and resiliency, and making a difference. A challenge of his work is when his flight is delayed or canceled. The content and material that he uses in his programs come from experience, reading, writing, and listening to other stories of hope and inspiration.  

In the assembly, Mr. Gerety asked the audience if they could call anyone right now and tell them how much they love and care for them. Many people said their parents or grandparents. When he asked junior Drew Marzano, he had Drew come up to the stage and call his mom in front of the whole school.

Senior Drew Marzano was asked by Ed Gerety prior to the assembly if he could help him, which surprised Drew: “I was a little nervous, I will admit, to be on stage in front of the whole school and calling my mom and telling her how much I meant to her. She actually texted me a little while later saying – “I love you Drew that made me cry you are the best son I am so proud you are my son such joy every day.” So I was glad this meant so much to her.”

Drew liked the part when Ed reprimanded the 3 teenagers for making fun of that “one odd kid”, just because of how he dressed. “This was my favorite because I think that this message will be in the back of everyone’s heads the next time they think about judging someone.” Drew enjoyed the time of Ed being there. “My favorite part of him being there was the fact that he left us with a powerful message about kindness. Ed Gerety actually made us participate in humorous activities which were also a big positive.”

Mr. Gerety was looking forward to coming to The Morgan School. After being here, he said, “Everyone at The Morgan School made me feel so welcome and part of The Morgan family. It is one of the prettiest schools that I have visited.” Mr. Gerety had a wonderful time at our school and would love to have the opportunity to come back.