Nanuet Students Receive Life Lessons from Hide & Slide

The Nanuet schools are trying different methods to teach their students the important lesson of bullying. The Nanuet Elementary PTA decided to try a new idea and introduce Sadecky's Puppets to students at Highview and Miller elementaries.

"This is a great opportunity to teach the students these important lessons while entertaining them as well," said PTA President Michelle Mazzaro.

The stage was set and the students filed in for an afternoon of entertainment, laughs and more importantly, some life lessons. Sadecky's Puppets put on a 40-minute performance called Hide & Slide to teach lessons such as bullying, sharing, acceptance, friendship and more.

"In the show Hide & Slide, a boy invents a new game on the playground. Soon its popularity spreads like wildfire," said Mazzaro. "Then one group of kids dominates the playground, keeping the others from playing. Now the boy who invented the game must come up with a solution that satisfies everyone."

Sadecky's Puppets is a non-profit company that tours the East and West coasts putting on theatrical, but educational assembly programs. Will and Jonathan Foster ran the show, which features state-of-the-art sound and lighting.

"Every year, there's a show about bullying and a show about character building, respect and honesty," said Will Foster. "It's a fairytale fantasy for the little kids with good messages."

Characters included:

• Hugo
• Chase
• Marty
• Freddie Mac
• the Mayor
• the Pig
• Mom
• Jillian

"It's fun and it's a lot of traveling," said Foster. "I like working with kids." The puppets are all hand made by the company and shows are catered to the age groups. Foster said he's put on shows for all ages up to eighth grade, but "fifth and sixth graders can be a rough audience, but we still get them to laugh."

For more information about Sadecky's Puppets, go to their website www.livepuppets.com, email them at info@livepuppets.com or call 1-800-962-0654.