For students, the magic is in the message
A graduate of Hayshire Elementary
returned with a few tricks up his sleeve



By BEV KRUMBINE
Daily Record correspondent

     James Warren has a bachelor's degree in psychology, a master's of divinity and a doctorate in magic.

     Well, maybe the doctorate is a stretch, but the 46-year-old magician is good enough to perform for some of Hollywood's finest, including Michelle Pfeiffer, Sinbad, Art Linkletter, Steve Allen and Sharon Gless.

     A 1968 graduate of Central York High School, Warren moved to Los Angeles for the warm weather. But on Friday morning, he braved slippery roads and cold temperatures to perform at his alma mater--Hayshire Elementary School.

     Warren makes his living doing magic shows, and most days you'll find him in schools teaching children that feelings are important. "Feelings bind people together," he said. "It's emotions that make us human and interesting. It's the common bond between us."

     Feelings are also a good way to help young people say "no" to drugs, he said. "Sharing your feelings is the best way to make friends," Warren said. "You don't make friends sitting around doing drugs together."

     In Central York schools, students in grades K-12 learn about self-esteem, feelings and drugs in their health curriculum. "They get the message as they go through each grade," said Hayshire principal Barbara Snare. "They can say, 'no'."

     Warren teaches the same message through magic. "Magic is fun," he said. "It's very childlike. It evokes a sense of wonder."

     During the assembly, Warren used his magic tricks to keep the young students involved in his message.

     As the students spelled out feeling words, exaggerated pictures of people with sad, angry, glad, shocked, afraid, bored, loving or pained expressions were displayed. But whenever 6-year-old Kyle Holtzman spelled out the words, a picture of Miss Piggy showed up.

     And when the magician sketched 6-year-old Lamar Jamison, the picture took on a life of its own with a moving mouth and eyes. Warren quickly erased the picture, to the relief of kindergartner Robbie Banks. "The eyes were scary," Robbie said.

     But the picture also showed that feelings make people interesting. "Feelings are so interesting that even your picture comes alive," Warren said.

     Warren used a clear balloon with strange, circled eyes and the name "Mr. Airhead" to instill the no drugs, no drinking, no smoking message in his young audience.

      The magician told students that Mr. Airhead was strange because he was on drugs. "Drugs make you pretty stupid," he said. "People take drugs because they don't want to have any feelings. Drugs take away your feelings."

      While the children waited with their hands over their ears, Warren poked at the balloon with a feather. But instead of bursting, the feather went right through the balloon.

     Warren pulled the feather through the inside of the balloon and back out the other side before popping it. Picking up the torn pieces, he said, "See, this is what happens when you do drugs."

      The all-purpose room echoed with laughter and shouts during the program.

      Five-year-old Chelsea Trabert wasn't real clear on what drugs were, but she knew not to use them. "You shouldn't drink drugs," she said. "They're bad for you."