The Southtown Star (via www.southtownstar.com)

December 19, 2010

Special delivery

By John K. Ryan jryan@southtownstar.com

December 17, 2010

A boy's shouts claiming "All Muslims are terrorists" and "Obama's a Muslim" stunned students gathered for an assembly Friday morning in the gym at Palos South Middle School in Palos Park.

As part of a presentation on social issues, a guest speaker had just started to discuss the mosque planned for a location near Ground Zero in New York.

A second boy challenged the student, defending Obama and telling the boy to sit down, when school staff pulled the boys away in what appeared to be an assembly gone bad.

Soon enough, though, the confrontation was revealed to be part of the program, as two girls approached the combatants singing the John Lennon tune, "Imagine." That soon gave way to an audio clip of Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech.

The four "students" were, in fact, members of the MWAH! Performing Arts Troupe, a group of about 15 young people from the Chicago area who travel around the Midwest using song, dance, skits and the re-telling of real-life stories to touch on issues such as bigotry, bullying, teen suicide, drunken driving and texting while driving.

All are topics the sixth-, seventh- and eight-graders gathered Friday probably had heard about before but perhaps not via such an effective delivery.

"They got the audience's attention right away and kept it," said eighth-grader Kate Callaghan, of Palos Heights.

Fellow eighth-grader Zack Amendola, of Palos Heights, agreed, saying the songs and other references troupe members made were relevant to students.

"It wasn't just someone up there lecturing. The songs were great and the acting was fantastic. It was worthwhile," Amendola said.

"We got the message," Callaghan said.

The message was about choices, said troupe member and emcee Chris Oechsel, who told the students a story about five teens killed in Oswego in a drunken-driving accident.

"Bad decisions have consequences," Oechsel told the assembly. "How could those five lives have been saved? By not following the crowd to that party."

State Sen. Edward Maloney (D-Chicago) talked about laws against bullying, and Palos Heights Police Officer Kevin Apostal, who said he was bullied as a kid, asked students to pledge to be leaders rather than followers.

"If someone is being picked on, step in and stop it rather than join in," Apostal said.

Enthusiasm spiked when students were incorporated into skits -- several of which got big laughs -- and when musical numbers were performed. A half-dozen students were recognized as "heroes" for their actions and attitude.

The finale finished with the entire student body moving on the gym floor to "I've Got a Feeling" by the Black Eyed Peas.

"It's definitely the most fun I've ever had at an assembly," Callaghan said.

MWAH!, which stands for Messages Which Are Hopeful, was started by Ray Moffitt, a former Maywood police social worker, as a dance group to encourage youth to denounce gang affiliation. In 1993, it added more performance arts to broaden its outreach and tackle more youth issues.

Further information on the troupe is available at MWAH.net. The not-for-profit ensemble can also be reached by phone at (630)993-0003. It's affiliated with Kids Do Count, Inc., and the Chicago Area Project, a grassroots service and advocacy agency based in downtown Chicago and part of an Illinois-wide community-services network targeting at-risk youth and their families.

For more information about MWAH! or to book an event, call Moffitt at 630-993-0003, or visit the website MWAH! page.

Jake Smith and Simon Rodriguez hug after resolving their differences during the MWAH! Performing Arts Troupe presentation at Palos South Middle School in Palos Park on Friday, Dec. 17, 2010.
(photo by Brett Roseman of Sun-Times Media)

MWAH! troupe member Shealeigh Voitl, age 12, moves from the audience singing the John Lennon song 'Imagine' at the beginning of the December 17 performance at Palos South Middle School in Palos Park. Later Shealeigh shared with the audience her own experiences of being bullied when she was younger because she liked to sing. She followed her story with the Taylor Swift song 'Mean.'
(photo by Brett Roseman of Sun-Times Media)

Students watch the presentation from MWAH! Performing Arts Troupe at Palos South Middle School in Palos Park on Friday, Dec. 17, 2010.
(photo by Brett Roseman of Sun-Times Media)

The Southtown Star (via www.southtownstar.com) December 19, 2010

	Special delivery By John K. Ryan jryan@southtownstar.com December 17, 2010 A boy's shouts claiming "All Muslims are terrorists" and "Obama's a Muslim" stunned students gathered for an assembly Friday morning in the gym at Palos South Middle School in Palos Park. As part of a presentation on social issues, a guest speaker had just started to discuss the mosque planned for a location near Ground Zero in New York. A second boy challenged the student, defending Obama and telling the boy to sit down, when school staff pulled the boys away in what appeared to be an assembly gone bad. Soon enough, though, the confrontation was revealed to be part of the program, as two girls approached the combatants singing the John Lennon tune, "Imagine." That soon gave way to an audio clip of Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech. The four "students" were, in fact, members of the MWAH! Performing Arts Troupe, a group of about 15 young people from the Chicago area who travel around the Midwest using song, dance, skits and the re-telling of real-life stories to touch on issues such as bigotry, bullying, teen suicide, drunken driving and texting while driving. All are topics the sixth-, seventh- and eight-graders gathered Friday probably had heard about before but perhaps not via such an effective delivery. "They got the audience's attention right away and kept it," said eighth-grader Kate Callaghan, of Palos Heights. Fellow eighth-grader Zack Amendola, of Palos Heights, agreed, saying the songs and other references troupe members made were relevant to students. "It wasn't just someone up there lecturing. The songs were great and the acting was fantastic. It was worthwhile," Amendola said. "We got the message," Callaghan said. The message was about choices, said troupe member and emcee Chris Oechsel, who told the students a story about five teens killed in Oswego in a drunken-driving accident. "Bad decisions have consequences," Oechsel told the assembly. "How could those five lives have been saved? By not following the crowd to that party." State Sen. Edward Maloney (D-Chicago) talked about laws against bullying, and Palos Heights Police Officer Kevin Apostal, who said he was bullied as a kid, asked students to pledge to be leaders rather than followers. "If someone is being picked on, step in and stop it rather than join in," Apostal said. Enthusiasm spiked when students were incorporated into skits -- several of which got big laughs -- and when musical numbers were performed. A half-dozen students were recognized as "heroes" for their actions and attitude. The finale finished with the entire student body moving on the gym floor to "I've Got a Feeling" by the Black Eyed Peas. "It's definitely the most fun I've ever had at an assembly," Callaghan said. MWAH!, which stands for Messages Which Are Hopeful, was started by Ray Moffitt, a former Maywood police social worker, as a dance group to encourage youth to denounce gang affiliation. In 1993, it added more performance arts to broaden its outreach and tackle more youth issues. Further information on the troupe is available at MWAH.net. The not-for-profit ensemble can also be reached by phone at (630)993-0003. It's affiliated with Kids Do Count, Inc., and the Chicago Area Project, a grassroots service and advocacy agency based in downtown Chicago and part of an Illinois-wide community-services network targeting at-risk youth and their families. For more information about MWAH! or to book an event, call Moffitt at 630-993-0003, or visit the website MWAH! page.	Jake Smith and Simon Rodriguez hug after resolving their differences during the MWAH! Performing Arts Troupe presentation at Palos South Middle School in Palos Park on Friday, Dec. 17, 2010. (photo by Brett Roseman of Sun-Times Media) MWAH! troupe member Shealeigh Voitl, age 12, moves from the audience singing the John Lennon song 'Imagine' at the beginning of the December 17 performance at Palos South Middle School in Palos Park. Later Shealeigh shared with the audience her own experiences of being bullied when she was younger because she liked to sing. She followed her story with the Taylor Swift song 'Mean.' (photo by Brett Roseman of Sun-Times Media) Students watch the presentation from MWAH! Performing Arts Troupe at Palos South Middle School in Palos Park on Friday, Dec. 17, 2010. (photo by Brett Roseman of Sun-Times Media)