Meaningful messages: MWAH! troupe visits junior high school in south–suburban Alsip
May 30, 2014
(Chicago Sun-Times Media)
By Mike Deacon, Metropolitan Editor
MWAH! troupe members Jacob Metoyer (left) and Leah Ballard (second from right) sing "Hero" to Prairie Junior High School students during an issues-oriented presentation at the school in Alsip on May 19. The students were among six recognized for heroic accomplishments during the school year.
Supplied photo by Photography by Harrington, Inc.
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MWAH! troupe members Landon Ballard (kneeling, from left), Chad Sype and Jillian Gomez sing "Hero" to several Prairie Junior High School students during an issues-oriented presentation at the school in Alsip on May 19. The students were among six recognized for heroic accomplishments during the school year.
Supplied photo by Photography by Harrington, Inc.
Click Bigger for a larger picture.
MWAH! troupe members Landon Ballard (kneeling, from left), Chad Sype and Jillian Gomez sing "Hero" to several Prairie Junior High School students during an issues-oriented presentation at the school in Alsip on May 19. The students were among six recognized for heroic accomplishments during the school year.
Supplied photo by Photography by Harrington, Inc.
Click Bigger for a larger picture.
Members of the choral group at Prairie Junior High School sing "Nothing More" with the MWAH! Performing Arts Troupe during a special issues–oriented performance May 19 at the school in Alsip. The song was written in memory of a first-grader killed in the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut in 2012.
Supplied photo by Photography by Harrington, Inc.
Click Bigger for a larger picture.
Singing, dancing and storytelling highlighted a recent presentation for students at Prairie Junior High School in Alsip, all designed to educate students about real-life issues in a positive way.
The MWAH! Performing Arts Troupe – MWAH stands for Messages Which Are Hopeful! – visited earlier this month.
Included on the event schedule were a presentation from a parent whose 12-year-old son committed suicide last year and a salute to "heroes" at Prairie Junior High School, among others.
The troupe also takes on issues such as heroin–related deaths, child and teen relationship abuse, bullying, and the importance of diversity, according to a press release about the event.
The 10–member MWAH! ensemble in its presentations combines real–life drama with contemporary music and lots of audience interaction.
The nonprofit troupe is an affiliate of Kids Do Count, Inc. and the Chicago Area Project, a grass-roots service and advocacy program – part of an Illinois–wide community services network targeting at–risk youth and their families, according to the organization.
For more information about the MWAH! Performing Arts Troupe, visit MWAH! .