In the first episode of our third season, we speak with Jason Greenamyer from the Class of 2002. Jason is a professional magician who performs alongside his wife, Stacy, as the husband-and-wife duo The Alans. Jason has performed professionally for nearly two decades, taking his career from birthday parties and libraries to cruise ships and stages around the country.

In our conversation, Jason recounts growing up in a working-class Salem family and describes a childhood spent playing sports, working alongside his family, and making frequent trips to the Salem Public Library--a place he credits with helping spark the interest in magic that would eventually become his career. Jason reflects candidly on struggling academically, the teachers who found ways to connect learning to his interests, and his experience as a three-sport athlete at SHS. He also describes a winding college journey that took him from Thiel College to Youngstown State University, where he competed in track and field before his growing interest in performing magic began pulling him in a different direction.

We also learn about Jason's decidedly unconventional path to becoming a full-time magician--including getting booed before his first major performance, driving back and forth to Cleveland for gigs, sleeping in his car between shows, and eventually performing aboard cruise ships. Jason shares how the work ethic he learned growing up in Salem helped him turn a passion into a business, how his wife eventually left her career to join him in creating The Alans, and the risks, sacrifices, and persistence required to build the life they have today. We hope you enjoy!

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Quaker Success Shorts: Stories Among Friends is a bonus series under the Quaker Success umbrella, offering brief, scripted episodes that shine a light on stories of interest to Salem High School alumni and are told entirely by your hosts, Craig, Aaron, and Ed. In these narrative-driven stories, we explore different lives, events, and phenomena, weaving together the details into a short-form experience. These episodes are snapshots—quieter, tighter, and a little different from our longer-form interviews, but rooted in the same spirit of community, curiosity, and Quaker pride.

Our second episode in this series examines how Salem's athletic teams came to be known as "the Quakers."

We'll "see" you in September when we'll release the first episode of our third season.

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We continue our "Quakers Teaching Quakers" theme as we speak with Matt Mowery from the Class of 2003 in our sixth episode of the season. Matt currently serves as a mathematics teacher at Salem High School and is also the head girls basketball coach. Matt and his wife Brooke, who teaches second grade at Buckeye Elementary, are raising their two children here in Salem. Please note that this conversation was recorded last summer.

In our conversation, Matt reflects on growing up in Salem with deep family roots in the community and describes his path through Salem City Schools—from preschool at First Christian Church to Reilly Elementary, Southeast Elementary, Salem Junior High School, and ultimately Salem High School. Matt shares memories of playing sports with friends around town, participating in band, choir, and basketball, and how influential teachers—especially math teacher Mr. Alejars—helped transform his relationship with mathematics and inspired him to pursue a career in education. We also learn about Matt's time at the University of Mount Union, where he majored in mathematics and became involved in sports broadcasting through WRMU, even calling two national championship football games during his time on campus.

Matt also walks us through the early years of his teaching career at United Local Schools, where he spent more than a decade teaching mathematics and coaching basketball. Along the way, he reflects on the challenges and growth that came with becoming a head basketball coach at a young age, the personal hardships he navigated during those years, and the lessons that shaped his perspective as both an educator and mentor. Matt later continued his professional development by earning a Master's Degree in Educational Administration from Ashland University in 2011.

Finally, Matt shares what it meant to return home in 2021 to teach at Salem High School, reflecting on how education and students have changed over the past two decades while emphasizing the enduring importance of relationships, high standards, and community pride. We also hear about his involvement with the Salem Athletic Hall of Fame and his belief that success is ultimately defined by the positive impact we have on others, our families, and our communities. We hope you enjoy!

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