Newton Public Schools truly made a difference for Jason Agress. An alumnus of Memorial-Spaulding, Oak Hill, and Newton South (Class of 2009), his experiences as a student in Newton helped him to discover and pursue his passions, as well as gain the skills needed to succeed.

Now Jason is connected to NPS in his role as a Network Media Specialist for the district. In this role, Jason goes throughout all 21 schools, implementing innovative technology solutions to support teaching and learning. Through doing this, Jason has gained a deep appreciation for the excellent resources – including dedicated faculty and staff – that Newton is home to, and which provided for his own first-rate public school experience.

No stranger to marathon training, Jason has worked with the Dreamfar High School Marathon program for the past three years as a mentor and Team Leader at Newton South. Through marathon training, Jason helps Newton students experience the sense of accomplishment that comes with achieving a huge goal and learn important life lessons in the process. In fact, Jason will train for the Boston Marathon alongside his Dreamfar students and colleagues who are training for the Providence Marathon two weeks later.

As part of both the marathon and Newton communities, running Boston 2014 will be especially meaningful for Jason. Running in support of Newton Schools Foundation is fitting; after all, NSF funds innovation in the schools, and Jason is both a product of Newton’s past innovation and part of expanding it now.

Follow Jason’s progress in training for Boston and fundraising for NSF on his blog at http://boston2014.jasonagress.com