Reggie Dabbs speaks during Value Up assembly

Reggie+Dabbs+speaks+to+schools+all+over+the+United+States.++%E2%80%9CYou+can+never+change+your+past%2C+but+you+can+change+your+future%21%E2%80%9D

Reggie Dabbs speaks to schools all over the United States. “You can never change your past, but you can change your future!”

Emily Hoffman, Ranger Review Reporter

Lewis-Palmer High School holds a Value Up assembly each year in which a guest speaker is invited. At last year’s assembly, the public speaker Mike Donahue made some students cry and other students laugh. However, this year’s speaker made many students do both throughout the entire assembly. On  January 9, 2019 Reggie Dabbs visited Lewis-Palmer High School and gave a speech at the Value Up assembly.

Value Up is a program that focuses on teaching students the value of themselves, and the value of other people. In past Value Up assemblies held at Lewis-Palmer High School, many of the speakers focused on bullying. At this year’s assembly, Dabbs focused on drugs, alcohol, and

the ability to struggle through adversity and to know that everything will be alright.

When Dabbs’ mother was still pregnant with him, she lived at her tenth-grade English teacher’s house. Dabbs expressed the struggle he went through accepting the truth about his biological parents, and even had thoughts of suicide. During this time of Dabbs’ life he did not do drugs or drink alcohol, and he encourages other students to make the same choice. He expressed his love and respect for his foster parents for raising him and supporting him throughout his life.

“I thought the speech that he gave was very inspirational and it inspired me to be more aware of other people and what they may or may not be going through,” Olivia Lampros 10 said.

Lampros admired Dabbs’ funny, yet touching speech. After hearing about Dabbs’ story, Lampros said hiss humor lightened the mood in the gymnasium.

“The most touching part of his speech was when he talked about his parents and how he found out about his biological parents,” Lampros said. “I thought that was really sad, and if I were in his situation I would not know how to react.”

Dabbs gave a speech about “removing your mask” and spoke about opening yourself up to others and sharing your struggles to peers and teachers. Lampros said she feels that a lot of time in high school people can be fake and afraid to show who they truly are. She said she liked what he said about removing your mask and being who you are because it served as a reminder to students that they are not alone.

“I think Dabbs’ speech will help other students who are struggling to know that they are not alone and that it is good to surround yourself with people who allow you to remove your mask and be yourself in front of them,” Lampros said.

Dabbs’ ended his speech by playing the saxophone to the song “Let Me Love You” while students sang along. At the end everyone gave Dabbs’ a standing ovation.

Lampros concluded by saying she “would like to see Dabbs return to our school” and felt that “his speech was very inspirational and that many students enjoyed it.”