Ever see a SEAL dribble three basketballs at once while whirling about and dancing to the "Mission: Impossible" theme song?

Probably not.

It's a safe bet to say the youngsters at Sugar Grove Elementary School hadn't seen such a spectacle either prior to Friday when "Secret Agent Jam" Charlie Aeschliman wowed them with his basketball handling prowess.

Aeschliman, a former Navy SEAL, put on a high-energy display for Sugar Grove students on behalf of the National Character Education Foundation, based in Butler County. His appearance was sponsored by funding from State Sen. Mary Jo White's office.

Aeschliman had plenty of tricks up his sleeve to captivate his young audience, randomly pulling kids to the front to help participate in his shenanigans: juggling two basketballs at once while feeding a young girl bites from an apple; giving another student bites of chocolate pudding while spinning a basketball on the spoon; spinning a basketball on his finger while dribbling a second ball with his foot.

But it wasn't all smiles, charm and fun and games.

"I didn't come all this way to just entertain you," Aeschliman said between tricks. "I also came here to encourage you."

With that, Aeschliman went into his message to Sugar Grove students: "I'm here to show you how to do a magic trick. I'm going to show you to make your dreams come true."

"Basketball is what I love to do," Aeschliman told the students. "From the time I was your age, I knew I wanted to be the best basketball handler in the world. Each of you have your own talent so how do you make your dreams come true?"

Through hard work, perseverance, integrity and courage, Aeschliman told the students.

"To achieve your dreams, you have to work hard," Aeschiman said.

Aeschliman told the students they shouldn't be afraid of failing when trying to master new things "At some point," he said, "we all stumble, fall and fail. But there is only one real failure in life when we quit. Don't fear failure. It's a normal part of the learning process."

Aeschliman pointed out that such famous people as Michael Jordan, Helen Keller and Abraham Lincoln all experienced failure in their lives before having success. He noted Jordan failed to make the freshman basketball team at his high school, while Lincoln lost six elections before finally reaching public office.

"They all failed at one time," Aeschliman said. "And they persevered. If they didn't, you never would have heard of them."

Aeschliman used his own experience of becoming a Navy SEAL as an example of persevering in order to achieve ones goals.

"I knew I needed a lot of encouraging to make it through Navy SEAL training. No one thought I could make it. One instructor called me a quitter, a loser, a dreamer and those were the nice things he said."

Aeschliman went on to successfully graduated from the grueling program and served 10 years as a SEAL. He spent three of those as an instructor.

"No one thought I could make it," Aeschliman said. "But through a lot of perseverance and hard work, I made it."

After retiring from the Navy, Aeschliman went on to become the NIKE National Basketball handling champion and has been featured on ESPN, The Learning Channel and the Discovery Channel. He has entertained audiences throughout the NBA and NCAA arenas, including the NCAA Final Four Championships.

"What matters is what you believe you can become," Aeschliman told the students, "not what other people think you are."