Unstoppable speaker to stop in Worland Tuesday

WORLAND - Every student at Worland High School is unstoppable.

That will be Craig Conrad's message to youth next week when he travels to Worland to speak to WHS students.

Conrad, a Colorado-based motivational speaker, will speak to WHS students at 8:30 a.m. Tuesday and to the Worland community at 7 p.m. Wednesday. His talks will be at the high school and Worland Middle School Auditorium, respectively.

Union Wireless is a sponsor of the event, paying for half of Conrad's $3,750 speaking fee and other expenses with the school district covering the other half.

Conrad's message is well-worth being heard by Worland students, Worland High School Principal Kevin Smith said.

According to his website, Conrad is "a nationally known T.V. host, author, lecturer and former teacher famed for his weekly Friday stories and his life-changing presentation, THE UNSTOPPABLE YOU, which has inspired students, schools and communities for decades."

Smith said Conrad has visited WHS in the past and that Conrad's presentation will "knock your socks off."

Conrad's topics of discussion will include anti-bullying and his speech will "motivate kids to make great decisions," Smith said.

According to a Union Wireless press release, "The Unstoppable You" program is a series of powerful, true, life-changing stories along with big-screen images and videos that connect to participants on a deeply emotional level. It has inspired a major paradigm shift in the attitudes of students, staff, administrators, and parents to achieve excellence both in and out of the classroom. The program has many supporters who agree that it significantly altered their futures and left a lasting impression in their lives."

"Happy, motivated, positive kids are more likely to succeed in school and in life, which is why Union Wireless has decided to fund 'The Unstoppable You' program for the local community," according to Brian Woody, chief customer relations officer at Union Wireless. "We are pleased to partner with Craig Conrad to help inspire a change in the way today's youth views bullying, drugs, alcohol, violence, and apathy. The program boosts students' self-esteem and confidence," Woody added.

Worland High School also utilizes curriculum from Conrad's book titled "UNSTOPPABLE" for its language arts classes.

In his book, Conrad tells stories of people he has met in his life who he finds inspirational.

One story, "The *?#!ing Mexican," tells the story of a former student who was bullied and faced racial stereotypes. Conrad recalls the student telling him that he faced problems when he went to certain stores that he felt were in part caused by his large build and race.

Conrad writes, "'Whether it was kids of your race, or kids of your age – you have two choices,' I said. I told (the student) that he could reinforce that store owner's stereotype or he could break it by being the kind of person we both knew he was.'"

Before he began giving motivational speeches, Conrad worked as a teacher in Colorado and also coached basketball, according to his book.