Perseverance, determination, and the desire to overcome challenges are some of the characteristics that draw people from all over the planet to carry the Olympic torch as it travels the globe on the way to Greece. Secaucus High School Social Studies teacher Michael Gehm will share in the journey this year when he carries the torch for the 2004 Olympics a quarter of a mile down a Manhattan street. His story can be said to be a personification of those traits, as he overcame an accident 14 years ago that left him wheelchair-bound. Since then, he received his teaching degree and led the school to win a state designation, raised three daughters, and bowls a 152 average.
In February, Gehm received a phone call from the Olympic committee after Andrea Just, mother of former student Jason Just (2000), for whom Gehm was advisor, wrote an essay suggesting he be selected.
“I actually thought it was a phone scam,” said Gehm. “She was asking me personal information.”
Gehm told the person on the phone that the offer sounded too good to be true and asked for something to be sent in the mail. The woman replied that there would be a representative at his door with a package for him, and he would have to return it in 48 hours.
When he opened the package, he saw a Coca Cola logo (they are an event sponsor) and Just’s essay, and realized that it was true.
“I was teary-eyed,” Gehm said. “I love the Olympics. It means something to me.”
Gehm said that the spirit of the Olympics is something he believes in.
“I think that the Olympics represent that you give everything you’ve got, and it doesn’t matter if you fall short,” Gehm said. “My parents and grandparents emphasized to me that you don’t quit. It doesn’t matter when you cross the finish line, as long as you cross. That’s what got me through the accident, and that’s what sustains me now.”
Gehm fell from the main mast of the U.S.S. Normandy hitting the steel deck, but he survived and went to school to get his degree in education, with the help of the Veterans’ Administration. He has taught social studies in Secaucus since 1995.
“I always thought that teaching is one of the most rewarding things anybody can ever do,” Gehm said. “But it is nice to have a former student’s parent do this. She felt that I demonstrated that no matter what adversity in life comes up, you don’t just quit. You don’t give up. You strive for the best in all circumstances. That’s what I teach all my students. Sometimes life throws you a curve ball, and how you react to that curve is how you come out of it.”
Gehm led Secaucus High school to be awarded the “Best Practice” designation for 2003-2004 from the state Department of Education for an AP History class he taught. The class utilized re-enactments of historical events to help students develop team-building skills, use strategies to reach learning goals and understand historic events as they relate to current events.
“It’s the highest award they give a teacher in this field for an innovative way of teaching,” said Gehm. “It has to be time tested over three years to prove that it works. I had a great year.”
Also three years ago, Gehm decided to reacquaint himself with bowling, which he used to do when he was in the Navy. He participates regularly in a league in North Arlington.
Torch passed
The torch left Ancient Olympia on March 25. It travels through all former Summer Olympic Cities, and will pass through New York on July 19, between Atlanta and Montreal. The games will run from August 13 to 29.
The actual route will not be revealed until just before the torch’s arrival, for security reasons. Gehm will go to Gracie Mansion on July 18 for a reception.
Gehm said that his favorite Olympic events are gymnastics and diving.
“I like to see people fall from that distance and do it gracefully,” said Gehm, with characteristic good humor.