About MWAH!
| About the Artists | About MWAH!'s Roots It can be seen in their faces, heard in the applause. "I am really impressed with what they do. The stories are so amazing, so powerful. Here are high school and middle school students talking about a wide range of issues and the sincerity is there. I think our kids really feel that!""Not only are the troupe members wonderfully proficient musicians and dancers, but they also are very confident public speakers and leaders. The production was very moving and had great attention from the audience members, some of whom I saw moved to tears! Some of the issues were deep and difficult to discuss, but the MWAH! teens presented them with clarity and sincerity. I loved how earnestly they urged those in the audience to find help for themselves or their friends and provided them with many avenues to do so. A wonderful group and production – should be at every school!" – (Stephanie Willcox, a professional photographer from Moline, Illinois, in the Quad Cities, based on her experiences with the troupe during a performance at John Deere Middle School in Moline on May 4, 2015.) "The MWAH! teen troupe members were awesome! Everything was woven together well and professionally done. The personal touches were great!" – (Dr. Greg Wallace, teacher at Wheeling High School in Wheeling, Illinois, and coordinator of a Wheeling High School Operation Snowball retreat on April 11, 2015.) "The performance far exceeded our expectations! It was very interactive and included our students, which made it very memorable for them. Your passion to help kids is so inspiring to me. I am grateful that MWAH! was able to perform at our school and impact our children in such a profound way." – (Ms. Photini Manesiotis, school counselor, Northlake Middle School in Northlake, Illinois, following troupe appearance on February 23, 2015.) "I no longer think of MWAH! as a performance, but more of an experience. Thank you for allowing us to be a part of the experience." – (Jim Wichman, Principal of Central Intermediate and Middle Schools of Central School District of Clinton County in DeWitt, Iowa, following an appearance on February 9, 2015 by the MWAH! troupe at Central High School in DeWitt for grades 6–9) "The performance and discussion session were outstanding! We could not have asked for a better presentation. I've gotten a ton of positive comments from students and staff. It definitely had an impact on our students. All of the major issues that students are faced with were addressed. Thank you for making the long drive to share such powerful information with our students!" – (Jennifer Turner, School Counselor at Bondurant–Farrar Middle School in Bondurant, Iowa, on the northeast edge of Des Moines, regarding the presentation of October 20, 2014) "An excellent performance by very talented kids. The material was 'heavy,' but appropriate. It was both uplifting and meaningful. I can't think of any issues not addressed that should have been. The performance offered a wide array of topics." – (Chad Carlson, Principal, Bondurant–Farrar Middle School in Bondurant, Iowa, on the northeast edge of Des Moines, regarding the presentation of October 20, 2014) "You covered a wide range of issues – all pertinent to middle school students – and I liked the way you rotated between serious moments / topics and humor. That kept everyone engaged. Having the troupe members comparable in age to our students was impactful. I wish all of our students could have been part of the 'debriefing' discussion session following the presentation." – (Bonita Wiley, a teacher at Bondurant–Farrar Middle School in Bondurant, Iowa, on the northeast edge of Des Moines, regarding the presentation of October 20, 2014) "I thought your presentation was amazing! At times it made me cry, but at other times it made me laugh. Props go out to you for having the courage to go up in front of all those people and talk about such serious issues and really open the eyes of other teenagers about the seriousness of bullying, teen suicide, and other things you covered. Keep doing what you're doing because you can really change/save the lives of many teenagers just through your presentation." – (Student feedback from MWAH! presentation on October 6, 2014 at Lena–Winslow High School for middle school and high school students) "I thought your skits were not just funny but also serious. I feel like I took in a lot of information and would like to pass it on. I think you guys should go everywhere to perform. Your singing was incredible and all of you performed like professionals. I would like to see this more, and I feel like it helped us all. I would like to thank you again and say you were AMAZING!" – (Student feedback from MWAH! presentation on October 6, 2014 at Lena–Winslow High School for middle school and high school students) "One thing I liked was that your presentation was realistic. Your skits showed similar struggles that we teenagers face. During the discussion session afterwards the troupe members knew a lot about what had happened on stage and were able to give some good advice." – (Student feedback from MWAH! presentation on October 6, 2014 at Lena–Winslow High School for middle school and high school students) "Your performance was very eye opening. All the pieces were put together very well. I feel that many people in our school don't realize the affects of drinking, and I feel what you did about that may have helped them to better understand." – (Student feedback from MWAH! presentation on October 6, 2014 at Lena–Winslow High School for middle school and high school students) "I really liked your whole presentation. You got your point across very effectively without being cheesy. Although I cried a lot, it really made me think differently about basically everything. I wish you guys would come back. Please keep doing what you're doing because it really made a difference in my mindset." – (Student feedback from MWAH! presentation on October 6, 2014 at Lena–Winslow High School for middle school and high school students) "I personally found the discussion session following the performance very helpful and loved having our Metamora junior high kids be part of the MWAH! presentation. Watching the troupe members interact off-stage was a true testament to the fact that they live what they say on stage. They are great role models!" – (Amanda Peck, Student Council Advisor at Metamora Grade School in Metamora, Illinois regarding troupe presentation on May 12, 2014) "A very impactful and excellent presentation!" – (Tim Farquer, Superintendent/Principal of Williamsfield School District, located between Galesburg and Peoria in western Illinois, regarding troupe's presentation at Williamsfield High School for grades 7–12 on April 28, 2014) "It was so important for our students to see kids their own age with such incredible talent, yet motivating messages of hope, and to see the effect the presentation had on our students." – (Special Education Teacher at the MWAH! Geneseo presentation April 7, 2014) "These messages are so much more powerful coming from kids the same ages as our students." – (School Counselor at the MWAH! Geneseo presentation April 7, 2014) "Awesome singers and a very polite troupe." – (Physical Education and Health Teacher at the MWAH! Geneseo presentation April 7, 2014) "This was by far the best presentation that I have seen since I have been at Erie High School." – (Mrs. Jan Unruh, Special Education teacher at Erie High School in Erie, Illinois regarding the MWAH! presentation at her school on March 10, 2014) A Feedback Archive (commentary prior to those above) can be found in a Feedback_Archive |
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