On November 11, over one hundred people, from the Parker community and beyond, gathered in the Diane and David B. Heller Auditorium at 1:00pm to enjoy the 4th TEDxParkerSchool, an independently organized speaking engagement licensed by the TED brand and lead by seniors Talia Garg and Olivia Levine. Themed “The Pursuit of Creativity,” this TEDx was the second Garg and Levine have hosted.

TED is a nonprofit organization that, according to its website, seeks “to spread ideas, usually in the form of short, powerful talks.” TED Talks, hosted all over the world since 1983, have developed a reputation for serving up compelling and enlightening presentations.

The pair was inspired to host the event after helping Brooke Mullen ‘15 put on a TEDx in 2014. “When Brooke put on the TEDx our freshman year, Olivia and I saw it and thought it was the coolest thing,” Garg said. “We completely knew that we wanted to host another one.”

The event’s speakers were Avery Bedows, the CEO of Altar Virtual Technologies; Martin Moran, a former Parker teacher and the Director of Upper School at Bennett Day School; Ian Weinberger, the Assistant Music Conductor of Hamilton: New York; and Andrea Sreshta, the CEO of LuminAid and a former Shark Tank contestant.

Garg and Levine put a great deal of thought into the speakers they choose to invite, they said, aiming for speakers who embody strong creative thinking – in keeping with the educational philosophies of both TED and Parker.

All of the speakers agreed to present for free, with Weinberger and Bedows even travelling – from New York and California respectively – to attend.

The speaking group was diverse in background, ideology, and interest, approaching “The Pursuit of Creativity” differently as a function of their varying work. “What I’m trying to get at is how we can work with 12 to 18 year olds and build creative people,” Moran said. “I’m working on how we can inspire creativity systemically.”

Weinberger aimed to lift the curtain on creativity. “I’m hoping to shed a little bit of light behind the proverbial curtain of a Broadway show and what it means to operate a Broadway show on a daily basis,” Weinberger said. “In my job, creativity comes through the little things.”

Recruitment for TEDxParkerSchool came largely through the social connections of Garg and Levine. Before taking his post at the Bennett Day School, Moran served as a faculty advisor to Garg and Levine, lending a hand as they planned both TEDx events.

Moran taught Weinberger during his time at Lyons Township High School, and the duo contacted Sreshta through an old connection of Garg’s father.

“Each of our speakers is playing a part in making what’s ‘next’ in the world,” Levine said. “Once we had them all together, ‘The Pursuit of Creativity’ became a clear theme.”

Garg and Levine sought a meaning beyond the surface label of “creativity” as both leaders considered the broader implications of their organizing – understanding the profound impact of their actions on Parker and its locale in which it resides. “The goal of TED events is to motivate and help bring ideas to different communities that would otherwise be isolated,” Levine said. “And I think our TEDx does a great job of accomplishing that.”