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Speaker to Canfield students: Listen, be grateful
By Christine Keeling
CANFIELD
A motivational speaker said he was in the presence of greatness when he told students to say “thank you” to someone during Thanksgiving break.
David Kohout of Talk is Cheap shared with Canfield Hilltop Elementary students photos and videos from a family vacation. The event was an assembly before school broke for the holiday.
The executive director of the nonprofit organization put a personal touch on his message to try to teach the children how important it is to listen, never give up and be grateful.
“On break, make sure you tell someone what you’re thankful for,” Kohout asked of the students.
Second-grader Joshua Thomas Palmer, after he saw the presentation, said he was going to tell his mom he was thankful for her. He thought it was funny when Kohout pretended to run out of air, he said
Kohout recounted a more-than-14,000-foot hike up Quandary Peak in Colorado in which he didn’t heed warnings from park signs and family members. The self-proclaimed out-of-shape hiker didn’t bring enough water or food and didn’t watch the weather.
“There are going to be times in your life, as you get older, when you’re going to want to give up and quit,” said Kohout. “You’re going to need each other.”
An upside-down shot video with Kohout heaving for air and ominous clouds in the background showed students the battle he faced. A mountain goat was seen, passing within feet of his group, trying to get to lower ground, as an apparent storm approached.
“You have a purpose,” he said to students, before he shared how a young girl he met, from Cleveland, told him not to give up on his climb to the peak.
Cathy Mowry, the school’s principal, said Kohout’s visit reinforced the school’s “attitude with gratitude” philosophy and helped the students appreciate and believe in themselves, as well as everything they have.
First-grader Alyssa Eichert said she is thankful for her father, Mark, and the hugs he gives to her at home.
“He is, like, awesome,” Alyssa said.