“My name is Allyson Whittemore, and I work at J.F.K Middle School in Bethpage.  On Friday, October 25th,

2019, our school had something we call “Soaring Eagles Day,” which is a school wide Anti-Bully type

program. The students attended different assemblies during the day and also took part in activities in

classrooms as a follow up. There were no regular classes during the day.

It was on this day that we had the pleasure of hosting Scott Baker and his partner, Vinnie Mark, and their

program, “Socializing without Social Media.”

It was an absolute hit. The students and faculty could not say enough positive things about the program,

even in the following weeks well after the day was over. On a daily basis, it is difficult to keep the students

engaged and interested for a long period of time. However, not during Scott’s presentation. The students

were motivated to participate, clearly excited, and were absolutely moved by Scott’s honesty and candor.

 It’s so important to actually connect to the students in a way that makes them feel that you are actively

listening, that you care, and that you also have been where they are, and know what they might be going

through. Scott did just that; he made the students feel like he absolutely understands them and that he

knows how difficult the years in middle school can be.  

During the presentation, it felt like every minute was better than the last! Having Vinnie there as well, truly

added to the experience. Together, they brought their show business experience and their real life

experiences to keep the presentation entertaining from start to finish. Vinnie was a positive, pleasant

addition to the presentation.  They both touched upon so many issues, i.e. boosting self esteem, how to

communicate without social media, how to deal with stress and anxiety, and just really how to be a better

human being overall. Scott also talked about changing your way of thinking from, “I can’t” and “I have to,” to

“I can,” and “I get to.” Middle school students are really unsure of themselves, so this was such a fantastic

lesson to instill in their young minds. They really felt this message.

After the presentations were over for all three grades, both Scott and Vinnie took extra time and walked

around to all of the classrooms where the students were doing their activities. During this time, they were

able to say a more personalized hello, answered questions, and by request from many of the students,

signed autographs!

Not only do I highly recommend Scott and Vinnie, but I encourage the implementation of this program into

your school or organization. Students and faculty thoroughly enjoyed it, learned a lot, and felt positive and

confident after participating in it.”

Best Regards,

Allyson Whittemore