Strong Messages for Freeport Middle School Students.
The Journal-Standard of Freeport, Illinois
Posted Sep 26, 2011 @ 07:00 PM
Phylinese Brooks, a seventh-grader at Freeport Middle School, is serenaded
by three members of the MWAH! Performing Arts Troupe - (from left) Mason
Ridenour, Rob Delgado, and Shawn Conerton. The troupe focused on a variety
of issues during its two 90-minute presentations for grades 5-8 from both
middle schools in Freeport at the Jeannette Lloyd Theatre.
September 26, 2011
(Photo by Jane Lethlean )
Phylinese Brooks, a seventh-grader at Freeport Middle School, is serenaded by three members of the MWAH! Performing Arts Troupe - (from left) Mason Ridenour, Rob Delgado, and Shawn Conerton. The troupe focused on a variety of issues during its two 90-minute presentations for grades 5-8 from both middle schools in Freeport at the Jeannette Lloyd Theatre.
September 26, 2011
(Photo by Jane Lethlean )
By Jane Lethlean of The Journal-Standard of Freeport, Ill.
Posted Sep 26, 2011 @ 07:00 PM
The Jeannette Lloyd Theatre was full of chatter Monday afternoon as the theater at the middle school filled to capacity during an assembly held to deliver a strong message bullying is not only wrong, it will not be tolerated. Chatter quickly quieted once the program began these stories were real.Twice on Monday, members of the performing arts group MWAH! (Messages Which Are Hopeful) acted out scenarios, delivered messages, and included students in a program to help them respect the differences among their peers. This group of young teens, ages 11 to 20, were brought in to talk to the students through a program developed within District 145.
"Think before you text, tweet, blog, or say," said one member of the group. "What you say can save a life or end a life."
Stacey Kleindl, principal at Carl Sandburg Middle School, said this assembly is just the first of many programs planned throughout the year to address the problem of bullying and peer pressure. A committee formed within the district has a year-long plan to bring more programs before the students.
"We, as a staff, got together to address the problem of being a bully or combat peer pressure," Kleindl said. "Next month, we will have a program called ‘Rachel’s Challenge’ this is our way to raise awareness that teachers can’t just do it it’s about kids coming together."
Strong Message
Many members of MWAH! are students themselves. Through dance, theater, song, and mime, these teens talked of diversity, of being kind, of not talking hurtful. They told stories of real life tragedies of teens who died after being bullied. They showed pictures of these teens.
The message was strong. Bullying hurts. It can cause a person to give up, but this assembly was also about something else peer pressure. It was also about the dangers of texting while driving drinking and driving being reckless.
The messages were helpful and hard to forget. The students laughed some, but the theater was mostly quiet during the delivery of these messages. Fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth graders were the target audience. Some students from these classes were also part of the program. The mission was to stimulate them to act and react in ways that are positive.
One person who spoke candidly was State Rep. Jim Sacia, R-Pecatonica. He spoke of a horrific story about how one of his sons was involved in a serious car crash. Sacia spoke of the horror of getting that late night call. He had a happy message to deliver his son lived.
"My hope in being part of the program was to deliver a message to the kids about making good decisions and good choices, even when someone eggs you on," Sacia said.
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