Why does science teacher Michael Hickey want to travel back in time to 1920s New York? Hint: It involves Babe Ruth. Who does he consider his hero? And what song always gets him dancing? Find out this and more in 5 Questions 4! 

If you could select any person - living or dead - to address the student body, who would you choose?

Harry Chapin is a hero of mine. While most young people today may be unfamiliar with his work, I am confident they would appreciate his message in these times. He was a musician, storyteller, and world activist. As someone who spun yarns on everyday life, love, and inclusiveness, his care and action in his philanthropic pursuits still ring loud and clear. He co-founded WhyHunger in the 70s. This quote best sums up his perspective on ending world hunger: “It is the most basic area...the fact is, hunger also involves ecology, it involves energy, it involves women’s rights, it involves economics, politics and it involves the future of our own kind.” His song “Flowers are Red” is at the root of why I chose to become an educator.

What is one book everyone should read?

There are so many. I am an avid reader so my point of view might be a bit much. The book that resonated with me the most recently was “Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow” by Yuval Noah Harari. An excellent read and very thought-provoking. I recommend it to any interested in thinking about the near horizon based on a foundational perspective of our collective past.

What song will always get you out on the dance floor?

Funny you should ask. I was at a function a few months back and let's just say my dancing days are as gray as my beard. Yet when Rob Base & DJ EZ Rock blared with “I Wanna Rock Right Now,” I was back on the floor.

What never fails to make you laugh?

When one of my children laughs. It's spontaneous.

If you could travel back in time, when and where would you go?

Nothing too cerebral...I'd travel back to New York in the late 1920s to watch my great-grandfather strike out Babe Ruth. That would have been incredible to see.

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