This weekend the Lovejoy High School drama department will be performing Hot Topic, an biannual performance encouraging kids make good choices in every aspect of life.

Lovejoy first presen  ted Hot Topic three years ago as a kick-off to the opening of the high school. It had many short scenes that depicted life

without drugs, alcohol, and conformity as much more satisfying than a life filled with blackouts and hangovers. Skits were tied together with current music. Hot Topic started the school year by saying that Lovejoy could be a different environment than the average high school.

“It gave freshman (at the time the oldest students in the district) the chance to make an impact on their classmates and on the younger students at the middle school,” says Jessica Brewster, Lovejoy High School Theater Director.

This year's version will be slightly different. All of the new actors are freshman and sophomores who were mentored by the original cast. When the play is presented again in 2011, the actors who were new in this performance will take their turn to be mentors.

“By allowing older students to work with the new actors, we gain a camaraderie that is not common in high school. Upperclassmen are able to create a positive influence in the high school before we leave for college,” says Cindy Brugge, a Lovejoy HS senior and member of the original cast.

Brugge's involvement with this project demonstrates exactly why Hot Topic is so important. Students are learning how to deal with very difficult and prevalent “hot topics” in a safe environment that says “it's okay to say no” — that is, unless someone asks you to see this remarkable show!

Hot Topic will be performed in the Lovejoy High School Auditorium (2350 E Estates Parkway in Lucas) on Friday and Saturday, October 2-3, at 7:00. Tickets will be sold at the door for $5 each.