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PLAINFIELD, Illinois — Timber Ridge Middle Schoolers took part in a program this week that was part performance, part group interaction, and altogether impressive.
It was emotional, heartfelt, and moving, and at the same time fun and even a little hokey. And that's saying a lot when you’re talking about peer pressure.
A troupe of actors, singers and dancers from MWAH! presented two, 90-minute programs for the students and faculty, a live public service announcement about bullying, racism, peer pressure, drinking and drugs.
MWAH!, which stands for Messages Which Are Hopeful!, is a 15-member troupe that uses real life drama combined with contemporary music and audience interaction to teach students about the importance of making good choices, among other positive themes. The troupe members are 11 to 21 years old and attend 10 different public and private Chicago suburban schools.
The program didn’t shy away from shocking topics, using hurtful words in portraying the harm caused by bullying and helping the middle school kids realize how much pain words can cause.
They also used real life examples of kids who succumbed to harassment and bullying, telling the stories of their lives, their struggles, and in some cases, their tragic ends.
"Asking for help is a sign of strength, not weakness," one performer told the middle school students, after reiterating her own struggles of bullying from classmates.
"We all are sometimes in a place where it rains and rains," said one troupe member. "We just need to be patient, and wait for the sun."
The performers encouraged the student audience to take time to see the struggles of other students, stand up for the weak, and lend an ear to someone who needs to talk.
"Make a choice, be the voice," one singer told students. "This is our problem."
Another highlight of the program were the testimonies from parents of teens who died as a result of peer pressure, including Donna Wagner, the mother of Batavia teenager Dylan Wagner, who took his life in 2010 after ongoing depression. His girlfriend took her own life just six months later.
He would be sad, but he wouldn't say anything, he was easy going, she told the crowd.
"He'd go up in his room and play video games and he always came down fine…until one day he didn't."
Also sharing her story was Donna Dwyer, mother of Oswego teen Matthew Frank, one of five teens who died in a drunk driving accident in 2007. He and friends had snuck out of the house to attend a party, they drank, they got in a car with a driver who had been drinking, and they crashed.
"Most kids think if they wouldn't have gotten in that car he'd be alive," she said. "But the choices started long before Matthew got in that car."
Winding the program down on a more celebratory note, the school announced the names of school heroes, named by classmates in honor of their attitudes, their helpfulness, and their loyalty to friends, family and peers.
The school 'heroes' included: Adonis Garcia, Kayla Radaker, Allison Abellera, Anthony Marino, Blake Babec,DJ Colantone, Rachel Kostelz and Madison Colantone.
Students also named four teachers and staff members for their heroic leadership, including Mr. Mosiman, Ms. Swik, Mr. Mike, and Mrs. Smith.
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