Using a mix of pop culture references, physical humour and music, a Canadian comedian urged Gleneagle students to make the most of their high school years.
"It's not about finishing first, it's about not stopping even when things get difficult," said Ian Tyson,.
The Ontario-based comic brought his high-energy schtick to the high school at the request of the school's Leadership 12 class. Student Stephanie Yu, who also took the mic, also urged students to set goals. "What is something that motivates you?" she asked the crowd of Grade 9 to 12 students and their teachers.
During his presentation, Tyson kept both the students and staff laughing with his humorous recounting of his own high school years, peppered with commentary on popular music and movies.
He began by asking students if they kept ticket stubs to remember significant concerts or sports events and suggested they think of ways to make high school a positive and memorable experience, saying, "Every decision you make is going to be on that ticket stub."
He also encouraged students to move beyond their cliques and associations based on socio-economic status, clubs, interests or other defining features and to befriend one another and treat others with respect.
"We choose to walk past each other in the hallways," he said. "We don't have to."
Sometimes, high school will be difficult, he admitted, "It's going to suck; it's going to be hard," but Tyson, whose mom died of a brain tumour before he reached high school, said students shouldn't let the obstacles they face prevent them from achieving their dreams.
"Everyday you can play Superman by stepping outside of your boundaries," he said, suggesting one way to do that is to reach across those boundaries to connect with one another.
"That's finding the hero inside."
