MWAH! assembly hits close to home at Stark County High School
The Star Courier of Kewanee, Illinois
March 13, 2012
By Tammy Wilkinson of GateHouse News Service
Stark County High School senior Hillary Kelly tells about dealing with the loss of three classmates who were killed last November in a single vehicle accident. The crash was one of several topics addressed during an assembly by the MWAH!, a performing arts troupe who visited the school Monday. MWAH! narrator Chris Oechsel listens.
(Photo by Tammy Wilkinson)
TOULON, Illinois —
It was a bag of mixed emotions that could be seen on the faces of the students in the audience during a performance at Stark County High School Monday by the 13 members of the performing arts troupe MWAH! (Messages Which Are Hopeful.) Stark County High School's Dean of students, Tim Carstens, had arranged the assembly last fall. At the time, however, Carstens had no idea exactly how close to home the program would affect the local school. Through music, dance and dialogue, the MWAH! actors, all high school students, themselves, travel througout the state playing out real life scenarios addressing drugs, alcohol abuse, bullying, domestic violence, racial discrimination, relationships and bad choices before high school audiences. Three months ago Stark County High School became one of those "scenarios" when three students were killed in a single vehicle accident southeast of Kewanee. The crash and the five students involved in the tragic accident were addressed during Monday's program. Stark County High School senior Hillary Kelly and principal Mike Domico, added their own thoughts. Domico commended the students and staff for the way they made it through the ordeal with "dignity and respect."
On a more uplifting note, the program also included recognizing a select group of students and teachers as "heros" for their leadership qualities. "The key objective is to cause those in the audience to think about the messages being present and to respond in ways that are personally meaningful and healthy, " said Ray Moffitt, director of the MWAH! troupe, which is based in the Chicago area.