GUERNSEY – Craig Conrad said, “We are designed for success, but too often programmed for failure.”

The former teacher who was nominated six times by his students to Who’s Who Best Teachers in America has changed his classroom to auditoriums and gymnasiums all over the country. Conrad who is currently a motivational speaker and life coach brought his program, “The Unstoppable You” to Guerney High School Sept. 21-22.

First he spoke in a morning assembly to the high school and junior high students Sept. 21. The next morning he was back again in his Capt. Unstoppable uniform for the elementary kids the next morning and then back for an encore performance that evening in a program that invited the entire community.

Conrad who was scheduled to bring his motivational program last March, but the timing could not have been worse as the student body and community of Guernsey were mourning the loss of Karson Yorges. Due to the circumstances, Conrad decided that he would visit on another occasion.

Conrad who was the once the host of the nationally syndicated television series Wyoming’s Call of the Wild which was seen on the Sportsmen’s Channel has won many accolades and has has accumulated many stories that helped shape his life and his destiny as a motivational speaker and a lighthouse for students.

He received the Governor’s Award for Excellence in Education in 1993 from former Colorado Governor Roy Romer. Nationally he was awarded the inaugural Tradition of Excellence Award created by Woodcraft Magazine.

He was a shop teacher and it struck a chord with many Guernsey students as GSHS has a motivator and visionary shop teacher in Troy Reichert who is also the adviser for the Guernsey chapter of SkillsUSA.

“The Tradition of Excellence Award was initiated in honor of his innovative and proactive solutions for many of the problems with which all teachers are faced,” according to information published in his book, “Unstoppable! Inspiring Lessons for the Unstoppable You!”

His classes have been featured seven times in national publications, including twice in Wood Magazine which is published by Better Homes and Gardens.

Conrad began his assembly by dropping a stone into a small kiddie-pool filled with water. The entire student body watched what happened as a result of the action that was taken.

“What happened to the water when the stone hit the surface of the water?” Conrad asked the students. “Ripples,” was the answer. And from that answer and that illustration, Conrad went on to explain consequences for both good and poor actions.

Conrad was also making his book, “Unstoppable” available to students who he later asked to sign an “Unstoppable” banner signifying them accepting the challenge to excel in life.

He went on to speak about subjects like “how to train your elephant,” and “Breaking the chains.” At times he had the crowd so silent you could hear a pin drop. Moments later he had the crowd cheering for the Denver Broncos.

From tears to laughter, he evoked a true emotion from the audience and an admiration from all who witnessed the magic that he brought to the high school stage. His program was a digging expedition, excavating for the buried treasure and potential that this group had buried underneath the layers of life.

He was not only a speaker that exuded a charismatic enthusiasm, but a true passion for life and helping others celebrate when life was good and overcome when life had gotten too heavy. A quote that was apropos for what he taught was, “If you follow your passion, it will take you places that you’ve never dreamed of.”

Conrad told of a program he developed called “Friday Stories” which were true stories that taught life’s messages. His stories have been recorded by The Associated Press, he has been televised on ABC and the NBC evening news and also featured on the CBS Early Show.

His goal, he says is to transform ordinary high school students and to empower them to be unstoppable.