Category: News & Updates

Dear Scary Guy,

I really enjoyed your performance. It shows kids not to bully in a fun and interesting way. I loved how you walked around and let volunteers come up to the stage. I think that not one kid was disappointed with your performance. I love how you don’t care about how other people think about you. You remind me of my brother he dresses how he likes and does not care what people think about him. Both of you are individuals in a very special way.

Love your biggest fan,

Madeleine from the
European School Rhein-Main (Germany)

12 February 2008
By Sophie Barley

MOTIVATIONAL – The Scary Guy visited George Pindar Community Sports College to speak to staff and members of the community about his inspirational work. Twenty people including staff, pupils, and local police officers were invited to the event which aimed to raise awareness of Scary Guy’s work in the college and the wider community.

Scary Guy has worked closely with the Eastfield school for more than three years and his mission is to eliminate hate, violence, and prejudice.

Assistant headteacher Felicity Davis said: “Scary Guy has done so much at George Pindar and we were delighted to have him back in school.

“He was talking to various people about what he does and how they can get involved in his work.

“He has made such a difference here since he started work with us three years ago.”

Miss Davis said since he first started speaking to the pupils, GCSE results have improved by 20 percent and attendance figures have gone up from 80 percent to 92 percent.

She said: “He has made a big impact on the pupils and they all love talking to him when he visits.

“I applaud his work and want to thank him for all he has done and also to Pindar PLC for the support they have given to this project as well.”

Scary Guy is from Minnesota in America and has worked with more than five million people around the world.

His audiences consist of both children and adults within schools and corporations worldwide.

He has visited many Scarborough schools over the years and he is well known for his work in improving children’s behaviour.

The two men couldn’t be more different.

One sports a conservative shirt and tie and conventional haircut befitting his school principal status. The face and arms of the other are covered in tattoos, his blue hair anything but conventional.

Their goal, however, is the same. Zimmerman Senior High-Middle School Principal and  The Scary Guy, are striving to foster respect, love, and acceptance of all people. Mike and Scary were best friends growing up in New Hope, but in the past three decades grew apart, as friends sometimes do.

“After 32 years we’d gone down separate paths,” said the Principal, “but we’re on the same mission,” which was recently presented to Zimmerman Senior High-Middle students. A former tattoo artist, The Scary Guy believes prejudice threatens the strength of the constitutional right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness by all. The Scary Guy travels around the world educating others on the dangers of prejudice.

“Kids are starting to kill themselves for their difference,” Scary Guy pointed out. Revenge, like prejudice, can also destroy, said Scary Guy. “Talk about a disease on this planet,” he observed. “Everyone’s gotta get someone back.”

The Principal said, “We’ve got to start reaching out hands out to each other and start working together instead of against each other and that’s kind of been my message here.” Since schools do not have the resources they once had, the Principal said, it’s time to students to “start joining with (teachers and staff) to do the best we can with the resources… and start making the teachers more effective for you. And kids have to start this whole movement of watching what comes out of their mouths or (things are) never going to change.”

Scary challenged the Zimmerman students to not say anything negative or call anyone a derogatory name for seven days and seven nights. But since we are only human, he added, it is to be expected that slip-ups will happen. When they do, it is important to apologize and make amends. The Scary Guy has worked with people worldwide promoting peace, respect, love, and acceptance of all people worldwide.

The word quickly spread. A huge 20 stone man covered in tattoos was in school and something was happening in the main hall. Pupils were already crowding the doors trying to glimpse what was going on inside. Local press were lining up. Photographers appeared in the foyer. Year 7s were the first to meet Scary Guy – a huge Texan tattoo artist whose face was as colorful as his message. The hall was packed with pupils and teachers and others who somehow sneaked in, aware that something extraordinary was happening. And it was.

No-one knew his name.

‘They call me the Scary Guy,’ he drawled in his deep bass American voice.

No-one spoke. No-one dared.

Then he went on to make us laugh, make us think about how we treat other people and how we see ourselves and ultimately challenge us to change our lifestyle, especially our words.

‘Words are powerful!’ he warned.

Before he knew what was happening a Year 7 boy found himself right at the front being shown how to hug – man style.

‘Jus’ come at me as if you’re goin’ to punch me and then ya do this, go like this and ..’

We watched, transfixed, wondering if this would turn into some wild wrestling move.

The hall resounded with wild clapping as they hugged one another. And the hugging was infectious.

‘Everyone needs 16 hugs a day,’ Scary explained and Lord Lawson pupils quickly joined in the action. Even Mr. Reach had a bearhug from the gentle giant as he volunteered to come forward.

The Scary Guy broke down barriers and showed us all how simple it was to make someone else feel good rather than criticise them. He challenged negative mindsets and name calling and showed us all how valuable we all are. His mission? To eliminate anger, hate, and violence. And in true comic book hero style, he succeeded. We laughed, cheered, whistled and joined in the fun. Except, of course, he had a serious message. We won’t forget it.

CBBC Newsround, UK

Would this man make you start being nicer to people?

That’s what Scary Guy hopes, and he’s going round Britain’s schools trying to teach people how to be nicer to each other.

He reckons that if people stop judging others the world will be a better place, and the way he looks is an important part of his master plan.

If you see someone covered in tattoos and piercings you’d normally be a bit scared, but if you listen to Scary Guy and think he’s okay afterward, you might not judge people so quickly in the future.

He also asks everyone to stop bullying and name-calling for seven days, because he thinks it’ll make you feel loads better at the end of it.

And according to Scary Guy, it works.

He said some kids he talked to three or four years ago have called him since and said the things he taught them changed their lives.

His body is a colorful collage of body art, his face peppered by piercings, his hair and beard colored blue and shaved randomly. The Scary Guy visited Lossiemouth High School to lead a workshop with pupils and staff, which aimed to eradicate prejudice and perceptions among those taking part.

However, this is one man who perhaps does not live up to his name.
Scary has been traveling the world for seven years, spreading his message to eliminate anger, hate, violence, and death by encouraging pupils not to judge people and to speak out against bullying. He spent a day at the school giving talks and demonstrations with 420 pupils, hoping it would help to stop intimidation in the classroom and playground.

“It is a four-stage process, ” said The Scary Guy. “First, we make them aware what prejudice and perception are. We then let them understand why it happens. “We then show how to turn it around into acceptance and love.” Some pupils were overwhelmed by his inspirational performance. He began his talk by walking into the room and saying nothing. In a split second, there was silence as the children caught their breath. First impressions, it seemed, form a large part of prejudice.
“The whole programme is geared to changing this earth. The problem is a worldwide problem and by teaching them love and not to judge others, we are changing the way they perceive others. This stops prejudice.

“I believe everybody has a bully in them. There is no such thing as bad kids, there is bad behaviour.”

The Scary Guy – his legal name and the one he has on his passport – visits schools all over the UK, many states in the US and other European countries. In big demand, he has a tough schedule but does not mind because he believes what he is doing will help change the world.

“Racism, sexism, ageism and religious issues all account for what’s happening in the world. We have to break those barriers down, and that is what I try a difference, that is why we focus on the children. But you can’t forget the teachers, ” he added. To put his ideas into practice, The Scary Guy then set a challenge.

“There is the seven days and seven nights challenge where you don’t say a negative thing about any person for that time period. We put all the people on what he had achieved.

“I think that he made a great impression on the pupils. This was probably evident at lunchtime when the pupils were going round smiling and hugging each other, ” he added. “Everybody apart from the fourth years took part and I think everybody enjoyed his performance. “It appears that a lot of the children who had been involved in incidents of bullying had thought a lot about what was said.”

Ms Gifford revealed that Lossie High was looking to do some follow-up work and she was delighted that so many staff took part in the after-school session. “Thirty-two members of staff stayed and took part in a workshop with him and it was excellent, ” she said. “I am really pleased and would encourage other schools to consider this option. It has really benefitted the staff and pupils of Lossiemouth High.” to do in the first hour with these kids, ” he said. After initially challenging their thinking, he held teacher-free workshops to continue the thought process. At the end, he conducted a workshop with teachers. “It is the adults of tomorrow that are going to make this at the workshop. “This is not a job. It is a mission. From the time I wake up to the moment I go to bed, I am always thinking about changing the mind set of the world.

Scarborough Evening News:

A 20-stone American man whose face is emblazoned with tattoos and peppered with piercings would not be most people’s choice to talk to schoolchildren about respect and self-esteem. But The Scary Guy – which is legally his real name – has been called in by Pindar High School to do exactly that.

What’s more, in just one day the motivational speaker has not only got students and staff to sign a contract to promise they’ll say nothing negative about each other for the next week, but he’s also got the school’s most challenging children hugging each other as they walk through the corridors.

Headteacher, Hugh Bellamy said: “His visit was absolutely fantastic. It was one of those defining moments in life for a lot of our students and most of the staff too.” “He is very, very engaging. His wife started the session by playing the harp, none of the children had seen him and they thought she was going to be running the whole session.” “She then introduced her husband and when he came into the hall there were gasps of surprise and amazement. Very slowly and deliberately he poured himself some water with his back to the audience and they started chatting among themselves.”

“Then he turned around and hit them with his stare and there was absolute silence – you could hear a pin drop.”

The Scary Guy’s message is pretty straightforward. He wants young people to put prejudice and intolerance aside and show love and acceptance to each other. It might sound all a bit happy-clappy for the fearsome figure whose teeth are capped with gold crowns, but Mr. Bellamy says his attention-grabbing image is what helps hammer home his positive ideals.

“We have been on a journey from being a school where behaviour was out of control to a place where it is now controlled,” he said. “But we now want to get to the point where the students are controlling their own behaviour. We were really looking for somebody to be a figurehead to launch this, we came across some information on Scary and he was doing just what we wanted.”

The Scary Guy worked as a tattoo artist in Tucson, Arizona, but his life was changed forever when he saw an advert in his local newspaper by a rival tattoo artist. It said: “Are you tired of dealing with scary guys with war paint facial tattoos?” His immediate reaction was to question why he was being picked on and to try to get revenge on the person who placed the ad, but after a little soul-searching, he realized he was no better than his rival and decided to change his life by preaching about positive behaviour to young people. Since then he claims to have worked with more than five million people all over the world.

His visit to Pindar High School had such an effect that Mr. Bellamy has invited him back for a full week in September to work with more students and parents.

He said; “It is, quite simply, the most important thing I have done since I have been here.”