MWAH! appears at LaMoille High School
(NewsTribune – LaSalle, Illinois)
August 28, 2013.
MWAH! Performing Arts Troupe "Messages Which are Hopefull" performed for students and faculty recently at LaMoille High School. Along with high school students, the audience included seventh- and eighth-graders and their teachers from nearby Allen Middle School. In white MWAH! Troupe member Taylor Oechsel, 17, of Naperville, interacts with the LaMoille high school crowd in a photo by Jeremy Reed for MWAH!
By Katlyn Rumbold ntprinceton@newstrib.com
Princeton Bureau Chief
LaMoille – It has been said that powerful healing can come in the form of music. This became quite evident when the youthful MWAH! Performing Arts Troupe made a special appearance Monday morning at LaMoille High School.
MWAH!, an acronym for Messages Which Are Hopeful!, consists of a 12-member ensemble who travel around the state performing real life drama combined with contemporary music and lots of audience interaction.
LaMoille High School counselor Katie Shevokas said the performance really hit home for the students. Impressed with previous MWAH! programs, Shevokas arranged for the troupe’s appearance.
"The students loved it. They benefited from the program because it touched on a variety of topics they are dealing with everyday. The kids even got to participate in the performance. Their message was clear, impactful, and was done in a way the kids responded well to," Shevokas said.
The key objective was to cause students and staff to think about life and death issues being presented by peers and then to relate the messages to their own lives and community.
Some of the segments performed include real-life tragedies including a huffing-related crash that killed three North Central Illinois teenagers, the tragic consequences of heroin addiction involving Illinois youth, a bullying-related suicide of an eastern Illinois 10-year-old and the abusive hazing of students in a couple of west and northwest suburban high schools.
On the flip-side, six students were recognized through song and commentary for their heroic school and community accomplishments. Shevokas added that MWAH! and the school wanted to shine the spotlight on positive decision makers throughout the district.
The not-for-profit troupe is affiliated with Kids Do Count Inc. and the Chicago Area Project, a grass-roots service and advocacy program based in downtown Chicago. The Chicago Area Project is part of an Illinois-wide community services network targeting at-risk youth and their families.
Katlyn Rumbold can be reached at (815) 879-5200 or ntprinceton@newstrib.com. The Bureau County bureau office fax number is (815) 828-0627.