Felicia Caraway - Special to the Sun

The Morris Brothers, a comedic duo who bring their positive messages to schools across the world, thrilled students at Kernville Elementary School on Monday, March 10. Principal Aileen DeLapp introduced the pair as hailing from Hollywood and being the best dressed guys the children would ever see. The audience realized she was joking when the brothers made their entrance onto the stage in the school’s multipurpose room.

With Queen’s, 'We Will Rock You,' blaring in the background, the Morris Brothers rushed onstage rocking out to the song. They were dressed in overtly stereotypical 'nerd' clothes: high-water, high-rise slacks, and taped glasses. One of the brothers continued to sing after the music was done, much to the chagrin of his partner. Through their banter, the audience learned their names, Rupert and Homer Morris. Rupert and Homer advertise themselves as NERDs, Never Ending Radical Dudes, and are social superheroes that teach students about teamwork, friendship, bullying, self-esteem, school pride, character, and drug prevention.

The NERDS, Never Ending Radical Dudes, Rupert and Homer Morris, visited Kernville Elementary School Monday, March 10. The Morris Brothers program is designed to teach students the negative impact of bullying. The Morris Brothers taught student the three R’s of character-respect for yourself, respect for others and responsibility.

The duo began with anecdotes about their childhood and their own problems with self-esteem and bullying. Because of their issues, the brothers decided to create a secret formula which would make them handsome and outgoing. The Morris’s experiment exploded, breaking their glasses and infusing their bodies and minds with self-esteem and a positive attitude. The Morris Brothers are on a mission to spread their confidence, experience and new found knowledge to kids everywhere, explains their website. They want every boy and girl to realize that by uniting as a team, and as friends, they can make the world a better place. They want kids to know that it’s not what you look like on the outside, but how you feel about yourself on the inside that’s important.

Throughout the assembly, the Morris Brothers engaged the audience with interactive songs, chants, and shout-outs. Students were brought onstage to role play scenes involving issues such as tattling versus reporting and bullying. According to the brothers, tattling on another student is not helpful but reporting is, and scenarios were given to help children distinguish between the two. Bullying was heavily addressed as were strategies to combat this problem. Some mantras of the Morris Brothers were, 'to have a friend you have to be a friend,' and 'the three R’s of Character ’Äì respect for yourself, respect for others and responsibility.' The children laughed, sang, yelled, and had fun learning about these hard-hitting subjects.

The Morris Brothers have taken their performance all over the world, reaching children and adults with their infectious method of teaching others the importance of these issues. Their website, www.themorrisbrothers.com, has information on their topics and assemblies, their story, as well as video and audio clips from television and live performances.