Live Different

The gracious philanthropists of the awareness group Live Different believe that a changed heart can change the world, and that is the kind of optimistic thinking one must sincerely hope becomes a reality. Although Brentwood is a mere grain of sand on Earth’s beach, the presentation we experienced this Wednesday night, without a doubt, made an impact on many souls, and like all the best presentations do, left audience members altered in their way of thinking. Live Different’s powerful messages brought to Brentwood were complemented with an engaging punk rock group called The Kerouacs. This foursome consisted of Peter Schmoll on Lead Guitar and Vocals, Elias Regier also on Lead Guitar and Vocals, Evan Wiens on bass, and Dan Multari on drums. Their up-tempo opening act created a captive crowd for the helpful messages to follow. Presenters such as Alex told stories of how a tragic loss of family in her childhood led her to eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia. She tackled these sensitive topics with tact and advice from personal experience. Her openness and expressiveness were much appreciated by the audience who, even after her brief five minutes on stage, felt they had a better understanding of not only what these eating disorders could entail, but also how to prevent them and how to start defeating them once they begin to take control. Even with the serious subject matter at hand, Live Different still put on acts of comedy, thanks to a boisterous performance by Anthony. His section of the show caused considerable hilarity, as his earlier photo shoot with Mrs. Felix was shown to the school on the big screen. Her poses were judged for beauty by Brentwood’s very own Joe S, Privett ‘16 and Ferdinand S, Rogers, ‘17. A round of applause is due to Mrs. Felix for being such a good sport, not to mention bringing this whole experience to the school. As final thank yous Brentwood would like to applaud Andrea DJ, Mack ’15, for her superlative leading of our SPARC program once again, and we would also like to thank every member of Live Different and The Kerouacs. We do feel - perhaps all in differing ways - that a change in a positive way was made to our mindsets.   Eat well, sleep well, and enjoy nature. Toby CH, Privett ‘15