Heart of Truth Productions hosted its first “I Believe in Me Back-to-School Pep Rally” on Saturday, Sept. 26, inside the Federal Way High School gym.
The star-studded event featured a phalanx of local entertainment, sports and political personalities, with a handful of educators.
I was very impressed to see the turnout of so many youths. At first, I was a tad nervous, but my fears were allayed after seeing how well they had comported themselves.
The Team Avengers cut up the floor with the Jerk — a hip-hop dance move — to the song, “In My Tight Jeans.” Radio host DJ Kaz did an excellent job emceeing the event, and kept the crowd in order with his smooth talk.
Speaker after speaker stressed the virtue of staying in school, getting good grades, and becoming productive citizens to society.
City council candidate Roger Freeman, having the gift of gab, seemed to connect well with the youth. Acting more like a TV talk-show host than an aspiring politician, he asked his audience, “What do you want?” Many youths responded affirmatively to this question.
“There are hopes and dreams in this room,” he said. “You can buy a Lotto ticket or you can get an education.” He told the students about his juvenile struggles, and how his fourth-grade teacher was instrumental in Freeman’s making positive choices.
Matthew York, a former Federal Way Municipal Court judicial candidate, also told the wide-eyed youths about his struggles growing up.
“Who is this guy to tell you about school?” he said. “Getting an education is not always easy, but I want you to know why education is important.”
He told stories about his mother working six jobs at one time in order to take care of her four children. And how he had to work menial jobs to put himself through college to become an attorney.
There was a rude awakening for many when he rolled off a few statistics: People with a high school diploma earn $7,000 more per year than those without. And there is a $25,000 difference for those with a bachelor’s degree than those without, he said.
The entire function was peppered with entertainment and motivational talks. The Todd Beamer Dancing Team performed a well-choreographed piece to the delight of the crowd.
And the vibrant “Anonimius” did not disappoint with renditions from their vast repertoire. The lead singer implored his teenaged peers to cut off “dead-end relations” in their social lives.
With many young men having their eyes set on the glitz and glamour of playing for the NBA or the NFL, Darin Harris, a former football player for the UW, gave them a wake-up call.
With a near-death experience, multiple injuries and one class shy of getting his sociology degree, Harris was forced to give up football for good, he said.
Like a big brother, he told the students to stay in school and to take their education seriously. As a struggling student academically at Decatur High school, he purposed himself to go in to school early every day to get extra help. That’s a habit he would like to see a lot more students pick up, he said.
Wowing the crowd with his soulful sound and inspiring words, Shyan Selah asked the students to look at the person sitting to the right and to the left of them.
“Potentially, that person could be your competitor in the workforce,” he said. “You all have to compete, but the slots are only open to those who are the best.”
Learn more
For more information, visit www.theheartoftruth.net. E-mail the organization’s founder and CEO Bobby Jennings at speak@theheartoftruth.net or call (206) 227-5995.
