Knoxville students learn about the importance of awareness

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Your life can change in a second. That was the message Joe Tomich told students this morning at Knoxville High School.

Tomich joined with the MWAH! Performing Arts Troupe for a two hour long assembly which consisted of a discussion around bullying, depression, suicide and vehicle accidents. 

Joe is the father of Wyatt Tomich, a 15-year-old who died last year when an SUV struck the Knoxville teen who was riding a bicycle. 

Joe, who brought a container with his son’s ashes, spoke with tears in his eyes and a heavy heart.

“Be aware of your surroundings,” Tomich told students. “It’s cool to drink, it’s cool to drive after you drink, right? It takes two seconds. Mess with the radio, talk to your friends next to you. It doesn’t matter whether you’re driving, it doesn’t matter whether you’re walking down the sidewalk and crossing the street. It doesn’t matter if you’re riding a bicycle. You can literally go from this two years ago (pointing to Wyatt’s picture) at thanksgiving, sitting at my mom and dad’s kitchen table, being Wyatt–to a box.”

74th District State Representative Don Moffitt also spoke, asking students to not be afraid to seek out help if they need it. He pressed on topics from anxiety to substance abuse.

Today’s performance was similar to those done in years past at school’s around the area. Last year, MWAH! performed at Galesburg High School.

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