It was a magical morning for Middle Gate Elementary School on Thursday, February 26, when magician and comedian Tim Hannig performed two special assembly shows.

Hannig delighted staff and students alike with his Pro-Kids Show, a fast-paced one-man show that blends comedy, drama, illusions, music, ventriloquism, and even audience participation.

Teachers led their classes into Middle Gate's gymnasium, where students excitedly took their seats and waited for the show to begin. They were left to speculate what it would be about, as they saw a speaker, a bag, and a basket full of random items in front of a Pro-Kids Show banner.

It didn't take long for Hannig to make a big entrance. He appeared from behind the banner holding a spray bottle and squirted water onto students. They laughed and screamed in delight as Hannig walked around and sprayed water, before breaking into a song about what it means to be a Pro-Kid.

Being a Pro-Kid, Hannig said, means planting seeds of character.

"When we're making these good choices, it's like planting a little seed, and we hope it starts to grow," Hannig told the crowd. "But since we're talking about our character, we're not talking about growing something on the outside, we're talking about growing who we are as a person."

The "Pro" stands for People Respecting Others. Hannig said a big part of the show is to have students think about the choices they make and how they treat others.

Then came for a magic trick. Hannig held out a blank piece of paper and told everyone to keep their eyes on it. He unfurled it shortly after, revealing the once blank paper now spelled PRO.

Hannig "accidentally" dropped another blank piece of paper on the ground. The crowd of students pointed at it and shouted at Hannig what happened, only for him to apologize, pick up the paper, and unfurl it; this paper spelled out PRO-KIDS.

The students shouted again and gave him a big round of applause.

The fun and games continued from there, with each activity or skit focused around the importance of honesty, trustworthiness, and kindness. Hannig led everyone in an honesty rap, had volunteers spell out honesty with lettered signs, and told a fantastical story about King Ferdinand choosing the right person to take his throne.

The king gave the children in his kingdom special flower seeds; whoever could grow the best flowers in one years time would succeed him to the throne. Many in the kingdom ooo'd and ahhh'd at their flowers, but one of these children, Freddie Flippin Flabber the IV, could not get his flower to grow. The other children teased him about this. Nevertheless, he presented his empty pot to the king, somewhat dejected but proud of the best he could do.

Hannig said a big smile spread across the king's face, who announced he found the one person worthy of being. King Ferdinand had given everyone fake flower seeds, and Freddie was the only person with enough courage to stand before him with an empty flower pot.

"King Ferdinand didn't care so much about the flowers or how things looked on the inside, his real test was how were these kids doing on the inside," Hannig said. "He was looking for a leader and he knew the first person we learn how to lead in life, is ourselves."

Hannig, who was holding his own empty flower pot, made it blossom with flowers that suddenly grew.

His biggest skit, "No, Yes, Help!" had two student volunteers and one staff volunteer. The staff member gave Hannig a small item, while the students had to either watch over or search for it.

One student got the No sign and could only respond with that word, while the student with the Yes sign could only respond with that word. The staff member who had the Help! sign asked for help once Hannig hid their item.

With some volunteer assistance, the staff member found their item inside a box hidden at the bottom of a goodie bag, several feet from where they were standing.

Afterwards was a special appearance from Hannig's puppet sidekick, Vern the Bird. The students could not stop laughing at Hannig and Vern's banter, with Hannig shutting Vern's beak whenever he said something really silly.

Nothing got a bigger reaction that Hannig's announcement at the end of the show, however: he would host a family show that same night at Reed Intermediate School, and everyone at Middle Gate was invited.

Once again, the kids screamed in delight.

This show was for people of all ages, and featured new magic, new music, new comedy bits, and more. Hannig also had Middle Gate Principal Jenna Connors try the iconic Harry Houdini's rope trick.

Hannig has performed for Six Flags, at The White House, and in England. He is also the first person to win both first place and The People's Choice Awards at The Chicago Magic Competition twice.

Hannig said he would have burned out a long time ago if he did not feel like he was making a difference.

"I love connecting with kids and also schools and partnering with them on the message of kindness and caring for others," he said. "And the family night helps build community in schools, both between the kids and their families. It just encourages that time together and gives them a space to have fun."

Reporter Jenna Visca can be reached at jenna@thebee.com.