AND NOW, THIS IMPORTANT MESSAGE

Perry Middle School Students Take A Break From Classes To Hear A Rock
Band And Its Lessons On Substance Abuse

PROVIDENCE -- At first blush, it isn't a match made in : Three
hundred middle school students, mostly Latino children from Hartford
Park, and The Jonas Brothers, a grunge-rock band from suburban New
Jersey.

Band manager Nathan Smithson takes the stage at Perry Middle School.
It's 9 a.m.

"This is taking us back," he says, looking at the crowd of quiet,
well-behaved preteens and teens. "I forgot how early middle school
starts. Don't be afraid to rock out. Feel free to start a mosh pit."

The adults look at one another as if to say, "Mosh pits?
Here?"

Then the Jonas Brothers -- 13-year-old Nicholas, 16-year-old Joseph
and 17-year-old Kevin, stride onto the stage, guitars in hand. They
are skinny white kids in jeans and flannel shirts who don't look much
older than their audience.

As they launch into a classic Green Day-like rock tune, a few girls
scream and raise their index and little fingers in the classic
devil-horn greeting. Most of these students, raised on 50 Cent and
Ludikrous, don't know what to make of these white boys with their
electric guitars and unintelligible lyrics.

The band tries to make a connection.

"How's it going!" one of the Jonas Brothers screams. "Come on! You
gotta stand up! We stand for anti-drugs, anti-alcohol. If you see a
friend slipping, do something."

With that, the band launches into a popular ballad, "I Can't Get You
Out of My Mind." The Perry students perk up. A bunch of girls stand
and start swaying -- and screaming -- to the music.

"Grab the person next to you and get them up!" one of the brothers
yells.

More students jump out of their seats and begin moving to a heavy,
guitar-driven beat. The girls continue to scream. Some point tiny
cameras at the band.

At first, the teachers stand in the aisles -- all business, no
smiling, no moving to the music. Then the rock 'n' roll stirs
something deep in their souls (their first Rolling Stones concert,
perhaps) and they begin to relax. A couple of teachers urge some of
the students to stand up.

By the end of the concert, everyone is on their feet. The auditorium
is a wall of noise. One boy launches himself into the air and slides
across the linoleum. A teacher frowns. Another tries to hide her laughter.

The song ends. The applause is deafening. The Jonas Brothers walk off
stage and Principal Robert Palombo takes the mike.

"Let's not forget the message here," he tells a room of smiling
children. "Don't do drugs."

Then, David Stanford, a student assistance counselor with the Rhode
Island Employee Assistance Program, grabs the mike. This is the
second tour band that he has brought to Perry.

"These bands are living their dream without drugs or alcohol," he
tells the crowd. "And Perry has started its first SADD chapter.
That's Students Against Destructive Behavior. We'll tell you how to
keep your friends from making stupid decisions."

Afterward, John Taylor, one of the guitarists, calls The Journal to
talk about how enthusiastic and well-behaved the students were.

"It was a very moving experience," Taylor says. "They applauded and
had a good time and were really into the music. At some of these
polished schools, the kids are jerks. These kids really embraced us."

Perry Middle School was one stop among many in The Jonas Brothers
Anti-Drug Tour, part of the federal government's "What's Your
Anti-Drug" campaign. The tours are sponsored by 12 to 20, a national
teen-marketing agency that has brought popular bands to hundreds of
school assemblies across the country. Richard Ellis, president and
founder of 12 to 20, blends pop acts with good causes. Ford, Levi
Strauss and L'Oreal are among the brands that have sponsored the
tours.

When Stanford proposed bringing rock bands to Perry, the principals
were skeptical. After all, they spent the past two years trying to
create order out of chaos at the troubled school.

"I was like, 'I don't know, I don't know,' " Palombo says. "But then
our kids fell in love with the first group. They really listened to
the message, which was to stay healthy. Now they are asking us,
"What's the next message? Who's coming next?' "

Although Perry has come a long way, Palumbo knows there is much more
work to be done.

"Maybe we affected one kid in a meaningful way," he says. "Is it
going to reach all of our kids? No. The big message is to succeed in
school. That's what we're here for. If you can't do that with energy
and love in your heart, then you should be doing something else."