Daily Herald

March 27, 2007

A clear message

By Christie Willhite
Daily Herald Staff Writer

NAPERVILLE, ILLINOIS - In the gym at Naperville’s Gregory Middle School, eighth-graders gathered for an assembly let out a joyful cheer at the mere mention of spring break.

But as most students settle down, they hear two among them arguing and spitting out racial slurs.

It takes a moment — maybe until teachers step in to separate the combatants — for students to realize the two are actors. Clearly, this would be a different kind of the program on diversity and acceptance.

In a show that holds 300 students’ attention for two full class periods, the MWAH! Performing Arts Troupe takes on everything from self-esteem to homelessness to disabilities to racism to peer pressure to abuse. They do it through talking, skits, singing and dancing and through interaction with the students.

“It was great they had such variation. They touched on topics that are sensitive, but in ways that reached the students,” Assistant Principal Deirdre Wiliams said. “They had 300 students quiet, very respectful and giving their full attention.”

MWAH, which stands for Messages Which Are Helpful, consists of teens and preteens who use performing arts to help their peers cope with issues they’re facing. Gregory student Jessie Scarzone and her brother, David, are members. Messages coming from other teens make a strong impression on students, Williams said.

“Some of the scenes they were acting were reality for some students,” she said. “They’d start a scene and I could see that’s what so-and-so is going through now.”

The blend of humor, music and performance drew students in and made them comfortable with the serious messages — even in such a large group, Williams said.

When a troupe member asked students about their heroes, hands went up all over the gym. Students named adults, sports figures, even Superman.

One student named a classmate who always protects him.

“It was powerful,” Williams said. “He named the student and they both stood up and everyone cheered for them. It was powerful.”

Administrators hope that type of openness carries through and students continue the discussions during their Connections periods, which are intended for such talks in smaller group settings, Williams said.

Jessie Scarzone, an eighth grade student at Gregory and a member of MWAH!, sings a special song for her school friends at the Gregory performance in Naperville. (photo by Tanit Jarusan of the Daily Herald)