For the first time this semester, we were left speechless; in a good way. Streator High School Class of 1980 graduate Mark Blakemore, who now lives in Green Bay, Wisconsin, visited us this morning, and treated us to doughnuts. He weaved powerful messages into personal stories, sharing the approach of disciplining our disappointments, taking risks, making the right decisions for ourselves, assessing our value and asking ourselves "what's the next best thing I can do right now?" Our group is usually ready with questions after hearing someone speak, but Mark's presentation left us thinking about many of the things he said and the stories that go with it. Those lessons and the stories will be etched on our minds as we move forward. Thank you for visiting us from nearly 300 miles away and giving back to our community: "once a Bulldog, always a Bulldog."