This is great stuff courtesy of our friends at www.newhavenindependent.org
Bridgeport media teacher Kathy Silver received a Project Based Learning Grant last year from the Bridgeport Public Education Fund and transformed it into the Best Sports Documentary at the New York International Film Festival, chronicling the challenges of the Bassick High football team.
Marge Hiller of the Bridgeport Public Education Fund is working on a reception and viewing of the film with details to follow.
From David Sepulveda, New Haven Independent:
Winning a prestigious 2010 New York International Film Festival Award in the category of Best Sports Documentary last week, was another in a series of surprises for Westville resident and Bridgeport high school arts and media teacher Kathy Silver. “The Pride of the Lions,” a 20-minute documentary film, chronicled the challenges and adversity that faced the football and soccer teams at Bridgeport’s Bassick High School, while capturing some of the most transformational moments in the school’s recent history.
The documentary’s “life-imitates-art” story line was not conceived in the mind of a Hollywood script writer, but is a gutsy, real-life story written in real-time by the athletes and students of Bridgeport’s smallest, and arguably, poorest of three high schools. The award winning video was directed by Silver and features footage shot by her video classes as part of an interdisciplinary effort integrating communication skills, reading, writing, technology, video editing and artistic creativity, according to Silver. The film’s narration was done by student athletes, some of whom were in Silver’s video classes. Their passionate voices tell a story of pride, determination and the leadership that catapulted them to a series of dramatic and improbable victories on and off the field.
Full article: here.
I saw the video clip and read the entire news article. An amazing article it is. I encourage everyone to do the same. I hope to have an opportunity to see the full twenty-minute video if Marge Heller can arrange a viewing time and place. This video experience is a tribute to the Bridgeport kids, coach Marcucio, and most of all to Kathy Silver.
My takeaway? At least one high school in Bridgeport needs the full complement of classrooms, support space, athletic fields and facilities ALL IN ONE PLACE; Not four blocks over; not a bus ride to the other side of town. Our high school kids deserve much more than they are getting. So much more.
In addition to a new regional magnet high school on the Fairchild Wheeler site–which is important and should be done–a major chunk of the GE Site or the entire Rem Grit site which is 28 acres if I remember correctly–should become the new HS site. Yes that part of the GE or Rem Grit Site would then come off the tax rolls but the old high school site would be put back on the market for reuse and then back on the tax rolls. Yes it’s expensive. Remediation is expensive but we have spent much more on outcomes that achieved much less over the years. The legislative delegation needs to carry the message because this will be a very expensive school construction cost but it is justified.
Bridgeport’s high school students deserve much much more than they currently have; they are Bridgeport’s future. My hope is the video is shown over and over again with the news article passed out for all to read. Put both on the public cable station and have it play all night and all day every week until everyone rallies around a solution. Lennie–make both a “perfect pearl.” Put both on the City’s website as well as the Board of Ed website with the news article.
Call this another wake-up call to demand the very best for our high school kids. Bravo to all those who made the video and the New Haven reporter who took the time to tell the full story. The CT Post should reprint the news story as a public service gesture and carry the full video on their website.
Powers that be–do something to the fix this unacceptable situation. Give the high school kids a complete high school experience. They deserve this and so much more.
Countdown Where is this money going to come from? Do we really need 28 acres to build a school on?
TC a fully equipped high school won’t need 28 acres but it is a large enough property to accommodate the use. Money. Well the collective leadership has spent far more to produce far less. It needs the combined leadership at the state and local level. Read the New Haven Independent news article and think out of the box.