At right, magician David McCreary talks to preschool to fourth-grade students at Joshua Dixon Elementary School about kindness, empathy and respect in between magic tricks during a recent visit. He visited Columbiana Middle and Columbiana High schools earlier in the morning. (Photo by Stephanie Ujhelyi)

COLUMBIANA — Students go to school to learn, and it was no different for Columbiana youth recently.

Magician David McCreary’s message was simple and to the point, as he encouraged them to learn more, laugh more and love more.

After the Pataskala resident started his day with the Columbiana High and Columbiana Middle school crowds, he wrapped up with the Joshua Dixon Elementary School students in the afternoon.

McCreary explained that the talk he shared with the upper level students is basically the same message, just delivered a little differently.

“I change the tricks up a little bit. In the older students’ talks, I do the same type of things I do in my corporate stand-up comedy and magic shows,” he added.

With nearly 25 years of experience performing for some of the world’s biggest companies (FedEx, Honda of America, and Limited Brands just to name a few), McCreary has amazed audiences at high-profile events, but his greatest passion is inspiring students.

For example, he performed a lunchbox trick with a bully for the elementary aged youth. McCreary explained that it is not a trick that he did for the middle and high school students, as he believes it may be a little immature for that particular audience.

McCreary uses humor, storytelling and jaw-dropping illusions to engage them in important conversations about kindness, empathy and respect.Through his captivating performance, he encourages students to see the power of their words and actions.

For information on booking McCreary, visit relevantspeakers.com/david-mccreary.