Heart of a lion

“I figured we were going to sit there, listen to someone talk and be bored,” recalled NRHEG ninth-grader Levi Whiteside. “But it was inspirational. It was pretty awesome.”

 

“I was surprised when they started singing,” commented classmate Justin Robel. “It was about how to be good to people, how to be nice.”

 

NRHEG secondary students grades 7 to 12, about 300 altogether, were bused to United South Central (USC) school in Wells during the school day on Wednesday, Oct. 8, to attend sessions by “The Lion Heart Experience,” a Detroit-based self-esteem program which combines music performance, personal narrative and art to send its message.

 

Grades 7 to 9 attended at 9 a.m.; grades 10 to 12 at 12:15. A public concert was presented in the USC auditorium Wednesday evening. According to organizers, about 200 people attended.

 

Prior to booking the group for its local performances, Kesley Staloch of USC said she had heard about the group and investigated whether its presentations might meet the goals of fariCares, an organization whose goals include drug abuse prevention for area youth. In addition to financial support from both school districts, Wednesday’s programs received funding from a Drug-Free Community grant.

 

“Lion Heart is a dynamic performance,” Staloch said, adding that its uplifting message addresses issues important to secondary students, including building self-esteem, addressing anxiety, and combating self harm and bullying. At its core, she said, the program’s intent was to bring students face to face with the questions “Who are you?” and “Who do you want to be?”

 

NRHEG Secondary counselor Liz Stiernagle supervised the groups. “I loved that it was something different and unexpected for the students,” she observed. “I think the music helped bring a different level of engagement from the students. They did a nice job using music to support their story of resilience, grit, and perseverance throughout high school and beyond.”

 

Stiernagle said she believed the combination of art, music, and lively personal narrative from presenter Joe Vercellino created an interactive atmosphere that kept students engaged. She said students probably connected with varying elements of the presentation, but she believed the message of personal validation and encouragement to keep moving forward toward your personal goals was delivered effectively.

 

Ninth-grader Danica Boyes said her favorite part about the presentation was that “they talked about their lives” and “made us think about the way other people are feeling.” She said she and her friends were glad to spend the morning together attending the program, and that all of them were surprised when the program included music and art.

 

Among the experiences Vercellino shared was hearing street performers “banging on buckets” as a child and thinking he would like to be a performer, too. He shared the story of being an eighth-grader and deciding to give it a try. He said he had closed his eyes to perform because he was nervous about who might be watching him–but after he sang his first song and opened his eyes, he saw a stranger standing in front of him who said simply, “You’re pretty good,” and then dropped 50 cents into his open guitar case.

 

“I made 50 cents on my passion,” said Vercellino. “It felt like magic; I’m still riding on that feeling today.”

 

Vercellino suggested students should think about their passions, since, “The future’s not really that far away.”

 

He admitted there would be obstacles, pointing out, “Middle school is a place where people will make fun of you even if you’re good at something.”

 

As Vercellino and fellow performer Tae Sosa alternated on vocals, Vercellino would walk to a canvas roughly three by four feet square. It was plain white when the program began. One of the first things painted on it were the words to a song, “You Were Wrong About Me.” A bit later, “50¢” was added. Vercellino added other elements gradually, sometimes rotating the canvas, but with no apparent plan.

 

Near the end of the program, however, a discernible image appeared.

 

“I didn’t expect it to be a lion,” said ninth-grader Sean Lassahn afterward. “It was pretty cool how the painting and talking about his experiences came together.

 

“I think it helped people relate.”