For the last

nine weeks, 18 students in the Eagle Wings program have been busy designing

sets, rehearsing their parts and learning how to operate stringed puppets.

The shows produced by the group are designed to entertain elementary students,

make them laugh, and in the process, learn a valuable lesson. The theme

of their present production is using kind words to one another.

A mini-grant

from the National SAVE (Students Against Violence Everywhere) organization

as well as funding from the Fayette County Community School Program and

Flat Rock Middle allows POKE to offer performances free of charge.

Starting this

month, the students will be taking their show on the road to Fayette's

elementary schools. The students have already completed two preview shows

and have compiled a file full of schools that want to book performances.

The idea for

the puppet show was the brainchild of Flat Rock counselor Sue McEwan,

who is also serving as POKE's advisor. Each year McEwan has a group of

mentors who work weekly with students at Robert J. Burch Elementary. Last

year she arranged for a puppet show to be performed at the elementary

school as an activity for the mentors and their students. After seeing

the show, it suddenly dawned on her that her students could do something

similar.

"I thought

to myself that we could do this. Our schools are always wanting to bring

in shows but our budgets just don't allow it," said McEwan. "Puppet

shows are especially expensive but if we were to form our own company,

then the schools could have these type of performances."

McEwan immediately

went to work writing the company's first 30-minute production and selected

students from the school's Eagle Wings program to form the cast.

The students

were divided into committees and each one was responsible for a particular

portion of the program. Derrick Pugh came up with the company's name,

Kiah Whitfield designed the logo and Deena Suarez drew the backdrop. Essentially

the only cost to the school to form the production company was the purchase

of the puppets.

Word of POKE's

creation has quickly spread throughout the state among other peer helper

groups. The school's innovative community service idea has landed it an

invitation to give a special performance at the Georgia Peer Helpers Association

later this year.

Due to time

constraints of the students, POKE is currently serving only elementary

schools within the Fayette County School System. For more information,

or to book a performance, contact McEwan at Flat Rock Midddle, 770-969-2830,

ext. 230.