MWAH! troupe brings messages of hope to Athens High School
By Ray Moffitt for The Petersburg Observer in Petersburg, Illinois
Jane Cutright, Editor
March 15, 2013
The MWAH! Performing Arts Troupe during an appearance on February 8, 2013 at
a Section 11 meeting of the FCCLA (Family, Career and Community Leaders of
America) in Fairbury, Illinois
(photo by Jeremy Reed of Impact Life
Photography)
PETERSBURG –
Illinois State Representative Rich Brauer (R-Petersburg) and Mary Kay Mace of Petersburg, the mother of the youngest of the five victims of the Northern Illinois University massacre five years ago, will participate with the MWAH! Performing Arts Troupe at Athens High School on Monday morning, March 18.
A lifelong resident of Menard County, Rep. Brauer will focus briefly on current laws in Illinois related to teen driving, particularly the use of cell phones, following the story of an Illinois single car crash that killed three teenagers 16 months ago.
Mrs. Mace, an advocate for improved enforcement of common sense gun control laws since her relocation to Petersburg with her husband from the Chicago area two years ago, will focus on the need for greater awareness of people who show signs of mental illness and other difficulties. Her comments will follow references not only to the NIU tragedy, but also the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre in Newtown, Connecticut in December and the record number of homicides in Chicago this past year, including the death of honor roll student Hadiya Pendleton six weeks ago.
The 90-minute issues-related presentation for a combined high school-junior high audience will begin at 9:15 a.m. in the gym of the school, located at 1 Warrior Way in Athens.
Other focuses will include the tragic consequences of bullying, with references to the suicides of a 10-year-old girl from Ridge Farm, Illinois, south of Danville and a 14-year-old gay boy from near Rochester, New York; and the issue of child abuse with references to reports of abuse at Penn State University, within the Boy Scouts of America, and two Illinois high schools.
In the context of an a cappella troupe version of the song 'Born This Way,' an eighth grade troupe member will share how he's coping with an imprisoned dad and a drug-addicted mom. Another focus, with a song titled 'Two Houses,' will be a seventh grader's challenges in dealing with an on-going divorce and custody battle between her parents.
The essence of the 14-member MWAH! ensemble - an acronym for Messages Which Are Hopeful! - is real life drama combined with contemporary music and lots of audience interaction.
A key objective on Monday will be to cause the Athens High School and junior high audience to think about the true story messages being presented and then to relate these messages to their own families, schools, and communities, resulting in some meaningful life changes.
On an uplifting note, six Athens High School students will be recognized as 'heroes' for their leadership and inspiration in coping with their own personal challenges.
The high school principal, Bill Reed, will comment on procedures in place throughout the school district in dealing with emergency situations and incidents of bullying , both in-person and online.
In a rousing finale, about 30 Athens High School and junior high students will join MWAH! troupe members in a choreographed hip hop dance finale, having rehearsed together just prior to the presentation. Current members of the MWAH! troupe range in age from 12 to 19, and they live in nine cities and towns throughout the western suburbs of Chicago as well as in Rockford and in north-central Illinois.
The not-for-profit troupe is affiliated with Kids Do Count, Inc. and the Chicago Area Project, a grass-roots service and advocacy agency based in downtown Chicago and part of an Illinois-wide community services network targeting at-risk youth and their families.
Sponsoring the troupe's appearance at Athens High School is the Menard County School and Community Task Force, led by Kay Daniel, who may be contacted at 217-632-2984 (office) or 217-652-1328 (cell).
Further information about the MWAH! Performing Arts Troupe is available on its website at www.mwah.net.