It’s over. Months of personal panic and political positioning finally led to today’s assembly, the Dover High School Student Council’s annual Leadership Rally. Our guest was the fascinating John Morello, who performed his one-man-show, Dirt. In a word, John was awesome. Before giving a more in depth review of the show, my opening remarks set this post up well.
Welcome to the 2008 Dover Leadership Rally, Student Council’s traditional springtime gathering with the goal of entertaining you while making you think. Before we start, I sincerely thank Superintendent Dr. Onofry and Assistant Superintendent Mr. Prill for making this assembly possible. Without their help, we wouldn’t be here today.
For those of you who don’t know who I am, I’m Ricky Mondello, your Student Council President. It is with great enthusiasm that I introduce our guest speaker this morning.
He’s been on stage for 15 years as an actor, comedian, and educator. He holds a BA in Theatre Arts and has performed in numerous professional productions throughout New England. Most notably, he has toured the United States and Canada as a headlining comedian. Although he has spent most of his time making people laugh, he has always found himself working with people whose everyday realities are anything but funny.
Born in Detroit and raised in Boston, our speaker considers himself a survivor of a “high risk” childhood. As a teenager, he witnessed friends and family lose their lives to drugs and alcohol. As a teacher in a treatment center for teens, he witnessed students repeating the family cycles of self-neglect and self-abuse.
I am very pleased to welcome John Morello to our school today. Student Council hopes that all of us can internalize his message and make intelligent decisions - tomorrow, Prom - and ever day after. Please give John the respect he deserves and enjoy the assembly. Thanks.
John’s performance tells a story of complex characters whose lives all cross. Masterfully, he crafts how their decisions affect each other in both beautiful and disastrous ways. The show juxtaposes seriousness and humor, keeping an audience on its toes. By sprinkling in pop culture references and very intelligent comedy, everyone in the auditorium was seen laughing.
The defining characteristic of John’s show is its theme. Unlike many speakers who condemn and condescend to troubled teens, John’s message is that of understanding and empathy. It’s not solely a show about drug or alcohol abuse; rather, it explores what motivates us all, including seemingly well-adjusted individuals.
I didn’t need to solicit the feedback of my peers after the assembly - it was everywhere. People all day said, “Good choice, Rick!” or “Great speaker!”. One usually quiet student, a senior, told me that this was the first assembly in his high school career that he truly enjoyed. A group of teachers believed that performance was, “The high point of our year.”
Personally, I’ve been having a hard time coping with the direction Dover High School has been heading. In this time of great hope and fear about its future, Dover needed John’s presentation; I needed it as well. As a teenager, I was touched, and as a veteran at selecting motivational speakers, I’ve never been more pleased. I give John my highest recommendation and hope he keeps spreading his great message for years to come.
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