Washington State Superintendent of Public Instruction Randy Dorn speaks to Toledo High School freshmen and sophomores on Monday morning at the high school's cafeteria.
Washington State Superintendent of Public Instruction Randy Dorn speaks to Toledo High School freshmen and sophomores on Monday morning at the high school's cafeteria.
Washington State Superintendent of Public Instruction Randy Dorn speaks to Toledo High School freshmen and sophomores on Monday morning at the high school's cafeteria.
Toledo High School freshmen and sophomores listen to Washington State Superintendent of Public Instruction Randy Dorn speak on Monday at the high school's cafeteria.
Washington State Superintendent of Public Instruction Randy Dorn gets an audience of Toledo High School freshmen and sophomore's to participate at a speaking event on Monday at the high school in Toledo.
TOLEDO — The State Superintendent of Public Instruction got Toledo High School students out of class Monday morning to give them a dose of reality.
“What you’re doing right now is setting what you choose for the rest of your life,” said Superintendent Randy Dorn.
Dorn told over 100 freshmen and sophomores in attendance that if they have positive attitudes, they’ll likely succeed in life but if they are negative, they’ll struggle.
“I get excited about waking up every morning because I have friends that were here one day and not the next,” the former motivational speaker told students.
Sophomore Bailey Heiserman said she learned about positive attitudes from Dorn’s speech.
“He’s a happy guy,” she said.
Dorn, a former high school principal, told students that a career is doing what one loves for work, while a job is something one has to do to attain money.
“It showed me there are two different ways,” said Courtney Moore, a freshman at THS, who hopes to pursue a career in medicine.
Dorn challenged students to seek the education and training they need for a career that won’t feel like work.
Freshman Sally Martin said she is pursuing a career in architecture because she likes to do artistic work.
“I enjoy it enough, it’ll be fun and it’ll be challenging enough to keep me busy,” she said.
A strong foundation in math, reading and writing coupled with a positive attitude equals success, Dorn said.
“And this is what companies are really looking for,” he told students.
Sophomore Riley Bowen said Dorn’s tips for success were the most help he’s had in a long time.
Typically, Dorn said, he gives students motivational speeches like the one in Toledo four or five times a year because he wishes schools taught more life skills.
“The focus of education isn’t just academics, it’s getting them prepared for what’s after high school,” Dorn told The Chronicle.
Toledo High School Principal Martin Huffman said he invited Dorn to give the talk because he thought it was full of pertinent information for students.
“They’re our future,” he said.
Huffman said he will post the signs Dorn used in his speech around the school to motivate students.
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