Ben Davis had Malabar Intermediate School students on their feet and screaming Friday afternoon – with the approval of Principal Andrea Moyer.
Davis, an employee of Mansfield UMADAOP, a nonprofit urban minority alcoholism and drug abuse outreach program, was at Malabar to support the school’s “No Excuses” campaign.
A student at Hedges when it was an elementary school and Moyer was the principal, Davis recalled how, as an adult, he had lost confidence in himself to the point that he was unemployed and living in his car.
“I was at the point where I didn’t believe in myself anymore,” he told students assembled in the auditorium. “One night as I looked at the stars and the moon, I thought: What can I do to get out of this? Something has to change.”
Davis said his transformation began by writing down his goals, just as Malabar students are doing as part of the No Excuses campaign “Frame Your Future in ’15.”
“My first goal was to make sure no one knows that I slept in my car. My second goal was to make my parents and loved ones proud,” he said.
Davis drew laughter from students and staff alike when he said his third goal was “to get some deodorant and air freshener as soon as possible.”
“In 30 days my life changed,” he said. “It wasn’t luck. “It was because I made up my mind to change. I want you to understand that it takes so much effort and energy. The best way to frame your future is to frame it in goals.”
Teacher Dawn Cole said fourth-, fifth- and sixth-graders are doing exactly that.
“We’re trying to get students to dream of what they want for themselves in their future, then set goals to help get them there,” Cole said. “Each student will set a personal, academic and social goal for themselves which we will hang in the hallways of the school.”
Cole said teachers also will help students explore their interests and possible career options.
Davis recalled that after he moved out of his car and got a job, he drove his mother from Mansfield to Atlanta to show her the building that housed his office. He also pointed to the parking garage where he had slept in his car.
“My mother cried. She was happy because her son had got out of that situation,” he said.
Davis reminded students that they are the future. As they stood, he asked, “Who are you?”
"THE FUTURE!” they screamed in unison.
“You will need effort that you don’t even know you had,” Davis said. “Apply yourself. Be respectful. Be responsible.”
Recalling that he had been Moyer’s student at Hedges years earlier, Davis ended by saying, “I say this in front of you: I love Ms. Moyer dearly, but I am scared of her.”
Students laughed. Teachers laughed.
Moyer laughed too.