by Connie Pilston Shoemaker
eventnews4u@zoominternet.net

Saxonburg PA (October 6, 2006) KDKA Weatherman Dennis Bowman mesmerized more than 400 students on Friday Morning with his creation of a tornado in their cafeteria. Bowman's weather machine was a hit for the fourth and fifth graders and their teachers at this presentation sponsored by the PTSO.

Tornado Machine

Bowman was there through the cooperation of the National Character Education Foundation. He meshed the topic of weather with fables and stories and wove into the presentation issues of bullying, the value of education and making right choices

Nikki Cully, a fifth grader said, "My favorite story was the fable about the sun and wind and how you can win with gentleness instead of being rough." Bowman's use of the fable was to illustrate his message about bullying.

Dennis and Chester Drawers

He also used the stories about inventors of weather equipment as people who choice to use their education to accomplish good things.

His biographical tale of being involved in a tornado while a radio broadcaster in Joplin, MO, encouraged students about making right choices. "While I wanted to run and hide under a desk, I knew the best thing to do was to broadcast the news of the impending tornado to the residents of Joplin that morning so they could take cover," he explained. It was that incident that led Bowman to a career in Meteorology.

Fifth Grade students at South Butler Intermediate

Bowman used life experience to give kids the opportunity to determine how to make a safe choice when confronted by weather issues and how to make the right choices when it comes to issues of bullying, making fun of peers and communicating with adults.

"The tornado thing was cool," said Matthew Traver, a fourth grade student echoing the oohs and ahhs of his classmates and teachers. Traver also thought the message about bullying was a good one. "When I was younger I was bullied at a public pool and it was horrible," he said. Several of his classmates thought they would use Bowman's message to stop bullying if they saw it happening at their school or on the bus.

Fifth Grade students at South Butler Intermediate

South Butler Intermediate Elementary School PTSO has hosted speakers in the past and were delighted with Bowman's presentation.