Dr. Michael Fowlin recently spoke about anti-bullying efforts to students in the Abington School District. His talk on November 28th was entitled “Even Small Crayons Make Bright Marks”.
“Abington School District students in grades three through six traveled to the auditorium at Abington Senior High School for a special presentation delivered by Dr. Michael “Mykee” Fowlin,” stated Ms. Allie Artur, Communications Coordinator for the Abington School District. “Last year, [he] spoke with students in grades six through nine on the topics of bullying and harassment.”
“Thanks in part to a Pennsylvania Department of Education Safe Schools Grant, and due to the popularity of his program among students last year, Abington School District was able to invite Dr. Fowlin back, taking the audience on an experiential journey with his one-man presentation that asked the students to reexamine core precepts regarding bullying, discrimination and harassment,” Ms. Artur continued. “Entitled, ‘Even Small Crayons Make Bright Marks’, Dr. Fowlin used humor, performance, poetry, storytelling, psychology, theatrical monologues, and his personal journey to create a moving experience. His program combined both his professional acting talents and his psychological training.”
According to Ms. Artur, “At Abington, Dr. Fowlin’s mission was to create an atmosphere of worldwide inclusion, not just tolerance, towards all people, and this particular program, tailored for third through sixth-graders, taught respect and encouraged the children to foster friendships and relationships with fellow students. This is just one of many programs scheduled in Abington School District throughout the year to encourage respectful and caring attitudes among students in the school and community.”
A biography of Dr. Fowlin indicated that he “has been formally acting since age 11, but started creating voices at age nine, which help form the basis for his performance. In addition to his talents on stage, he has an undergraduate degree in psychology from Evangel University, in Springfield, MO, and in the fall of 2001, he attained a doctorate degree in clinical psychology from Rutgers University. He has worked extensively with all age groups in the United States and in other countries, which includes peer mediation, diversity trainings, gender equity workshops, and violence prevention seminars. With every performance, Dr. Fowlin hopes all audience members leave with that wonderful, awakening feeling of beauty: the beauty within one’s self and the beauty within others, the celebration of our differences, and the acceptance of our shared experiences.”
The photograph of the assembly is provided courtesy of the Abington School District, 2018.