The NewsTribune
(serving North-Central Illinois and published in LaSalle, Illinois)
Published April 20, 2011
Putnam County teen delivering Message
By By Shannon Crawley - Serpette - NewsTribune
April 20, 2011
Sometimes Shawn Conerton can barely believe his own luck.
The 17-year-old Magnolia resident is living the dream, getting to combine his two favorite things — playing the guitar and helping people. As a member of the Chicago-based MWAH! (Messages Which Are Hopeful) performing arts troupe, Conerton gets to travel from school to school spreading positive messages to students his own age and younger. Before he performed his first show with MWAH! in September of 2010, Conerton was a fan, seeing the show several times. "I was sort of star struck," he said, recalling the first time he saw MWAH! perform. "It's crazy to think I'm doing it now." Conerton's audition for the group was held one night at 11:30 at Henry-Senachwine High School, where the performers were rehearsing for an upcoming show. "It was a little nerve-wracking," he said. "He (director Ray Moffitt) brought me up in front of all of them." Conerton did well during his audition, but Moffitt said what was most impressive was his personality. "His sincerity and his passion for reaching out to people through music, that was the main thing," Moffitt said. He added that Conerton's singing voice and guitar playing didn't hurt either.
For Conerton, showing off his self-taught guitar skills and raspy, rocker voice to thousands of Illinois students is a dream come true. "I love music. I love playing my guitar," he said. The messages MWAH! delivers — anti-bullying, anti-violence, accepting people for who they are, finding ways to help those who need it — are important to Conerton. "I love helping people," he said. Of all the messages in the show, the one dearest to Conerton addresses suicide. Conerton lost a friend, Arie Boggio of Putnam County, to suicide in 2010. He hopes his music and speaking about how the event impacted him will help encourage those who are struggling with thoughts of suicide. "We connect with the kids really well. We can tell kids in the audience that they're not alone," he said. Conerton said his parents and his school district have both been extremely understanding about the time commitment. "I miss like one day of school every two weeks," he said. "Putnam County is very, very supportive of MWAH!" Conerton's time in the troupe has given him more than just another organization to put on a resume or college application. It has given him a chance to meet other students who share his interests. "We've grown extremely close," he said. Members of the troupe regularly call, text and communicate over Facebook, he said. "It's like one big, happy family," his mother, Dawn Conerton, said. "There's a bond there that will never go away."
