Recently, EJSHS held a unique assembly with comedian (“Psychologist Performer Poet”) Michael “Mykee” Fowlin!
This isn’t the first school he’s spoken with, as he’s performed his informational act in many schools in Bergen County and beyond.
During the hour he was with us, he handled many topics, the general theme of which being that you never know what’s going on in someone’s life, and if you do notice someone may need help, say something to help.
Some subtopics touched upon by Fowlin were trouble at home, questioning sexuality, and handling mental health issues, all of which are important themes to be discussed with high schoolers.
When asked what she took away from Fowlin’s performance, Sophia Rizzo stated, “Something that really struck me about his performance was the way he looked so open on stage. He had this presence while onstage that he couldn’t shake, no matter the character he was portraying. It was funny, serious, and got the message across flawlessly when it came to talking about pressing issues in today’s society, all while embodying different characters that all had different backgrounds and issues.”
Rizzo went on to say, “It was pretty much perspective changing and left the audience with a lot to think about by the end of it all. Though there was a lot I’ve gained, the most important thing it left me to think about was the fact that people could be hiding trauma and other backgrounds and others just don’t know. The masking of the issue and keeping it a secret may seem to be the best choice, but it isn’t in reality.”
Fowlin didn’t just give us a lecture on these topics, he acted through them. He portrayed different characters with different stories, often switching up the mood to keep kids engaged and learning. Fowlin was also very honest with us, sharing personal stories and feelings while educating us.
While many assemblies in school may be boring or tiring, Fowlin kept us on our toes (rather, the edge of our seats) during his whole message.
According to Fowlin, near the end of his time with us, his messages and overall topics even caused some tears to form.
Mrs. Murphy stated, “I really liked Fowlin’s way of presenting the information, it was very entertaining and something I feel students could relate to more. It wasn’t just administrators talking at them or their parents talking at them, they heard it from someone who was entertaining.”.
All in all, Fowlin’s performance and message is something so crucial for kids this age, and especially great to be perceived in this format.
Hopefully there will be another opportunity for EJSHS to get a message like this in the future.
