MILFORD, New Hampshire (STPNS) -- ?Who would you call if you just found out you had only one hour to live??

The question was posed to the freshman class at Milford High School last week during the school?s Transitions Program.

Student Jack Micozzi said he would call his mother, so Ed Gerety, a professional youth speaker and leadership trainer, had him do it. Jack was called to the stage and in front of his entire class and several parents, telephoned his mother.

After explaining that he really was in school and at an assembly, Jack told his mom that he loved her.



The point of all this, Gerety explained was that each year they spend at Milford High School can be remarkable ? the key is to simply respect themselves and those around them, and to always chase their dreams.

But, Gerety explained, sometimes you have to change those dreams. He, for instance, had dreamed of being a professional ballplayer until he was cut from his college team in his sophomore year. Gerety recognized the importance of having new dreams to replace ones that you let go and decided to focus on becoming a motivational speaker, with the aim of addressing speaking in every state in America.

So he tacked a picture of the United States on his wall, and just recently achieved this goal.

Gerety, who lives in Merrimack, graduated from the University of New Hampshire and completed the Boston Marathon three times, brought his experiences and point of view to the school on Sept. 26 when he addressed the Class of 2011 during ?Transitions,? a program aimed at helping freshmen make the transition from middle school to high school.

?Entering high school can be an exciting but challenging time for teenagers and their parents,? said Heather Fortin, a social worker at the high school. ?The goal of Transitions 2007 is to bring parents and teens together to focus on important issues, increase awareness of what teens may be facing today, and ultimately open the door to future discussions in the home.?

The day began in the gym, where members of the Class of 2011 were joined by their parents. Gerety delivered the keynote speech ?Raising our Teens: Bridging the Gap? with humor and emotion. He stressed the importance of appreciating the people in your life, especially family.

?A sense of gratitude creates the right attitude,? he said.

He recalled a first grade student telling him that in their classroom, ?we all take care of each other.? This philosophy was echoed throughout his speech.

Gerety drew applause and laughter during his talk but still addressed challenging issues like the dangers of underage drinking, drug use, and sexual activity. His core message was that every decision is an important one with potential consequences. According to Gerety, the biggest mistake teens can make is not being true to themselves. Throughout his talk, he stressed the importance of having empathy and respect for all.

Lori Clark, who attended with her daughter, Amanda, said of Gerety, ?I came today for my daughter. I thought he was wonderful.?

The remainder of the day was spent in breakout sessions that students and parents had chosen ahead of time. They included:

? ?Winning it All!!? with Richard Labell addressing the importance of using music as a positive influence. Labell, who transformed himself into a rock star with white wig and sequined spectacles, had his group up and dancing.

Wendy Getchell-Lacy, who attended with her daughter, Emily, said, ?Music is a great choice of expression to cross all bridges between students and adults. Labell was very dynamic and real, he had some strong life experiences to share.?

? Motivational speaker Jack Agati addressed ?Six Steps to Surviving the Teenage Years,? and provided an array of coping mechanisms and strategies. Agati?s message to parents was to choose their battles wisely, to have a consistent action plans that can and will be followed, and to accept the fact that teens must learn to make decisions and be held accountable for them.

He warned that most teens think that if they can engage their parent into an argument or debate, they can wear them down. Agati feels that our society has become non-accountable and when your child tells you, ?You are the only parent that makes me do this,? they might just be right.

Chriss Johnson, mother of Hollis Johnson, said she got a lot out of Agati?s talk.

?I received some wonderful coping strategies for everyday teen behavior, and a better understanding of what is normal every day behavior, all delivered with humor.?

? The Network Center for College Planning offered two sessions; one focused on the transition to high school and one addressing early college and career planning. Students learned about job shadowing, class selection, the importance of their high school attendance records and transcripts, and the benefit of taking the SAT or ACT more than once.

Other sessions included ?Making Your Mark? with Gerety; a yoga session with Laurie Hughes; an anger management session ?Taming the Beast Within? with Dr. Ben Garber; ?Sex Offenders and the Internet? with Det. James McLaughlin; ?Teens, Marijuana and NH? by Lisa Remick; and ?What?s Love Got To Do With It?? presented for teens only, by Bridges, a local organization that helps victims of assault.

The program got generally good reviews from students and parents.

? ?We really need to start learning all this stuff now,? said student Mike Stapleford.