Daily Gazette

Tuesday, September 26, 2006

Class Act

BY JOSEPH BUSTOS GAZETTE REPORTER

ROCK FALLS — Students at Rock Falls Middle School thought the hour-and-a-half assembly would be another ordinary play, or a presentation with lots of dancing.

Then a fight broke out between two teenagers who were moving a table off the stage while Principal Jeff Brown was making an announcement. Teachers rushed in to break it up, and took the teenagers away to calm down.

As the two were taken away, 10-year-old David Scarzone came to the stage and spoke about how he imagined a world without hate. Then two more teenagers, sitting in the audience, began singing the John Lennon hit, "Imagine."

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The 300 students slowly realized, this was no an ordinary assembly. They were watching a show from the group MWAH! — Messages Which are Hopeful! — and listening to its themes of tolerance, compassion and making the right choices in life.

Ray Moffit founded the group, which features 11 performers ages 10 to 17, to help students know they have some to talk to if they are in an abusive relationship or are having other trouble in life, and to talk about the importance of tolerance and respect. Members also hope to encourage youngsters to stay away from drugs and alcohol.

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"Life is full of choices, starting today," Moffit said. "They need to think about those choices and strive to make those (correct) choices. One choice leads to another. All choices are important, and we need to have our minds clear when we think."

Before eighth-grader Brandon Kiro realized what was going on, he was sitting in the crowd next to 17-year-old Lauren Verstat, of Wheaton. Verstat told Brandon that her boyfriend was in the show, that he could be jealous from time to time and that she wanted to get away from him.

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"I thought she liked me," Brandon said.

When troupe member Michael Todd Emery confronted Verstat in the audience, Brandon shot up to defend her, but Emery ignored him and "slapped" her.

A speech and song followed. David Scarzone spoke about love in relationships and how what people say can be hurtful, and lead to disappointment and anger.

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At the end of the skit, Verstat told Emery the relationship was over, and the crowd applauded.

After the show, Brandon said he thought the performance was excellent, and helped teach the students to be proud of themselves.

Moffit's troupe of young actors incorporates hip-hop dances and other high energy performances in its shows.

"If they aren't having a good time as much as we do, then we know we didn't do a good job," said Emery, a 15-year-old sophomore at Oswego East High School in Naperville and the troupe's co-director.

Verstat said she joined the group as a way of giving back to kids her age. A lot of parents try to teach children messages of tolerance and love, but sometimes the message is easier to listen to if it comes from others in their age group, said Verstat, who wants to be a singer.

All of the troupe members do some acting, dancing and singing.

Michael Notardonato even performed some magic, to illustrate how a person could disappear. While holding a red handkerchief, he spoke how a problems could lead to drugs, alcohol. The way you deal with problems could end up hurting yourself and other people, Michael said.

Talk to other people who care, "or you could end up disappearing," Michael said as he stuffed the red handkerchief into his hand and opened his empty palm.

Josh Jones, 17, of Aurora, did his best impression of Michael Jackson while dancing to a portion of "Billy Jean" and sang parts of Usher's song "Yeah," after talking to the students about having self-confidence.

During one point in the show, the performers sang about finding a hero in life, then grabbed some of the students and brought them on stage, serenading them in front of their peers, leaving them to turn red.

Brown said he brought the troupe to the school because Rock Falls Middle School the faculty and staff try to teach the students about being a family at the school.

"We try working at this school on building togetherness," he said. "We treat (the students) with love and dignity and expect the students to treat others with same respect and dignity."