Be The Voice, Not The Echo, Point Boro Middle Schoolers Told

“Everyone else is doing it.”

Keith Elias calls those the five most dangerous words in the English language.

“’Everyone else is doing it’ can make you do things that you would not normally do,” Elias told the sixth-, seventh- and eighth-graders at Memorial Middle School in Point Pleasant as the school kicked off MMS Roars with Panther Pride -- its Positive Behavior Supports in Schools initiative -- for the third year.

Instead, students need to “Be the voice and not the echo,” Eliais said.

Elias, a Lacey High School football star who went on to play at Princeton University and then spent five years in the NFL with the Giants and the Indianapolis Colts, was the guest speaker at Memorial Middle School’s pep rally to kick off the program. He told the students that it’s important to think for themselves, help others feel better about themselves, and not worry about following the crowd.

Elias, who was a star on the football field at Lacey as well as an outstanding student academically, shared a story about his high school experience, saying he struggled to fit in. He told of a particularly cruel prank pulled on him by the so-called popular kids, who had invited him to hang out with them, after having previously ignored him. He told of riding his bicycle all over and across town only to come to the realization that he was set up, and the invitation had been nothing more than a cruel joke.

“I realized what was going on, and as I was beginning to get upset, I had this realization of what an incredible effort these guys expended just to prove to me that I didn’t fit in,” he said.

“Is that who you are,” he asked. “Have you bought the lie that tells you to compare yourself to others to feel better about yourself?

“What makes Peyton Manning great is not just his performance on the field,” Elias said of the quarterback, who was Elias’s teammate in Indianapolis.“What makes Peyton Manning great is his ability to make people feel better about who they are. Are you that person?”

Elias, who was wearing a T-shirt with Superman, Captain America and other superheroes on it, also reminded the studended about the difference between a hero and a villian.

“When I’m out speaking with younger, elementary-age kids, the first thing they shout out when I ask about superheroes is ‘ super powers’,” he said. “But then I remind them that villains often also have super powers.”

“The difference between a hero and a villain is how they put their powers to use,” he said. “Heroes use their talent, gifts and ability to help others. Villains use their talent, gifts and ability to help themselves.”

“I’m here to help encourage you to discover your own talent, gifts and abilities,” he said. “And I can guarantee that if you use them to help others, you too can be a hero.”

And that’s why “everyone else is doing it” is so dangerous, he said.

“’Everyone else is doing it’ can make you tease and taunt others,” Elias said. “ ’Everyone else is doing it’ can make you use drugs or drink. Don’t fall into the trap of ‘everyone else is doing it’. Be a leader, not a follower. It’s easy to say, not as easy to do but you can do it.”

He then issued Boro students a challenge, encouraging them to, “Stand up for what’s right, and for what you believe in.”

“If you can, you will change the world,” he said.

The pep rally also included student performances, games, including a version of the “Minute to Win It” game show and giveaways.

“PBSIS is centered around the belief that by reinforcing positive behaviors and attitudes, schools can proactively address negative behaviors,” said Memorial Middle School Principal Gary Floyd.

Musical performances opened the rally, with the eighth-grade band ushering the student in with Pharrell Williams’ hit song “Happy” and the Go-Go’s “We Got the Beat,” the latter of which featured Floyd as guest drummer.

“Keith Elias is such a dynamic presenter,” said Superintendent of Schools Vincent S. Smith. “His philosophy of making the right choices and being a leader is thematic to the PBSIS initiative and what we try to instill in our students every day.”

(PHOTO: Keith Elias addresses students at an assembly at Memorial Middle School last Friday. Courtesy of Point Pleasant School District)