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Ventriloquist entertains Lynn Kirk students
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Neighbors | Sarah Foor .Ventriloquist Mark Wade brought a whole bag of tricks when he visited Lynn Kirk Elementary on April 25. He brought a frame he called "Art," and Wade surprised the audience when Art's mouth began to move. Art taught the kids about keeping a positive attitude.
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Lynn Kirk students Evan Jones (left), Lia Hill, and Sadee Guzman couldn't stop giggling at the jokes Wade during his ventriloquism event.
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Wade made Lynn Kirk third-grader Jeremy Baltas his very own ventriloquism dummy during the event. However, Baltas looked a little unsure about the silly dunce cap he had to wear during the skit.
By SARAH FOOR
The students at Lynn Kirk recently met a crazy cast of characters in a show called “The Power of Respect.” What made this show unique, however, was that the story all came from the mouth of one man, ventriloquist Mark Wade.
Wade calls Grove City, Ohio, home, but spends most of his time traveling across the United States to present his ventriloquism shows about positivity and character to elementary-aged children.
“I was an elementary teacher in Lancaster, Ohio, before this became my full-time job,” Wade explained before his show at Lynn Kirk began. “Thirty-two years after leaving my job as a teacher, it’s still so much fun. Every year, I create a new show and new puppets and I get to entertain and make people laugh nearly every day.”
The students at Lynn Kirk were welcomed to their all-purpose room on April 25 for an informative and interactive show from Wade that focused on respect, manners and the good side of rules.
Wade gave the kids a brief lesson on how he talks without moving his mouth and told the students that the best way to master ventriloquism was to practice.
He introduced the students to a turkey, monkey and a moving picture named “Art” who each taught lessons about being thankful and respectful. In between the serious message, the show provided lots of laughs, like when Wade made Lynn Kirk third-grader Jeremy Baltas into a life-size ventriloquism dummy.
Using Baltas as a puppet, Wade made the third-grader say, “I love doing homework!”
Although Wade is technically no longer a teacher, he finds his current job is still remarkably similar.
“I’m still a teacher at heart. Instead of a class of 30 and a chalkboard, I just teach to a quarter of a million kids a year with a puppet in my hands.”