Keith Becker Presentation

sponsored by FCA and NHS

Fairbury students in grades 9-12 listened to Keith Becker on Tuesday, May 1st, during a special presentation.  Keith is from the Todd Becker Foundation.  He shares "a life-changing message with a life-changing story".  Advertisements for the presentation said, "The story is about an all American kid. Someone who had it all.  Someone with so much potential.  Football.  Baseball. Track. College. Life.  It's about a senior in his last days of high school who made a choice that ended it all.  Someone dead, at just 18.  It's a story that's in all of us."  Keith is the older brother of Todd Becker; a senior from Kearney, Nebraska, who was tragically killed  in a drunk driving accident on February 6, 2005.

Keith's message held the attention of 335 very quiet senior high students.  As he walked back and forth in front of the gym bleachers, the eyes of students did not wander far from Keith.  He had their attention!  "In my fourteen years of teaching at Fairbury High School, I have never seen our students so quiet for a speaker," said Connie Schouboe.  

Other than describing the life of Todd Becker, Keith talked to Fairbury students about their potential!  Potential in sports, music, arts, academics and life!  During a student's senior year, three major things happen; senior pictures, mailing graduation announcements and the commencement ceremony.  As FHS senior students sat in the gym just feet away from where they will walk across the stage in twelve days, Keith continued to hold their attention!  Keith's brother, Todd, only had his senior pictures taken.  He didn't get to graduate with his friends.  

Choices.  We all get to make choices in life.  You have a choice.  Are you going down the road of destruction?  The road of alcohol, drugs, porn, sex?  Or are you going to take the narrow road?  The road of truth, trust and faith.  The road that leads to life.  Another illustration that Keith used was dominoes.  The last domino doesn't fall by itself.  It takes a whole line to push the last one down.  He compared this to one step at a time as he walked across the length of the gym.  One bad choice, a second bad choice, a third; and before you know it you are all the way on the other side of the gym and can hardly see the "narrow road" any more.  

To conclude the ninety minute presentation, Keith asked FHS students if they wanted to walk on the narrow road.  "Are you willing to make good choices?  Fulfill your potential?  Stop the drugs, the sex, the gossip, the cheating?  The narrow way is hard, but you CAN do it."  No other speaker at FHS has ever asked students to physically make a decision for where they are headed in life.  But Keith asked students if they were willing to stand on the narrow road.  He said, "Don't come up here just because your friend did.  Make a personal decision, to stand up and walk on the narrow road."  This was the most powerful moment of the presentation.  Numerous students made the difficult decision, to stand up in front of their peers and say they were ready to make good choices.  

Jared Blackwell, senior, said, "My heart was POUNDING!"  Jared was the first student to stand up and walk on the narrow road.  But he wasn't alone.  Nearly 200 FHS students quietly, some with tears, stood up, climbed down the bleachers and boldly decided to walk on the narrow road!

Keith told this group of students how proud he was of them for making this choice.  He explained that they didn't get down the wide road of drugs etc over night.  They won't get back to the narrow road that fast either.  They will have to take baby steps, one choice at a time.  

Click here to view pictures of the assembly.

The Todd Becker Foundation is a non-profit organization.  To come to schools, they charge about 30% of what other speakers are charging.  The cost is offset by donations.  If you want to support the Todd Becker Foundation as they continue sharing this message, you can send your donation to:  PO Box 2264 Kearney, NE 68848.  

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