Friday, 14 April 2006
San Fernando High School, a school of 5000 high school students in a very disadvantaged area. Approximately 3500 - 4000 students attend each day. In this school a very small pocket of educators have learn some students to take control of the lives and enhanced the opportunities through media and looking at the hard issues effecting them. They hold a film festival each year where students show their film to family and friends. Please have a look at the past 6 iCan Film Festival entries.
Past students such as Connie come back to work with the current students to share, learn and show what’s possible. Their leader Marco, currently an untrained teacher, shares his philosophy with the students which is empowered. Connie who has left the school some 5 years ago and who came back to show the LEST group around said, “Macro says that You don’t know a bad taco until you’ve tasted a good one and us kids have had a lot of bad taco’s!”
50% of all year 9 year don’t complete the year and don’t return.
There is a strong emphasis on the 4 P’s, Plan, Produce, Present and Peer Assess.
You can not shoot any film unless the planning of the story board is in place.
Is was amazing to think what a school of 5000 students would be like to work in. The teachers wouldn’t know each other and one who spoke to Ross was amazed that we would even think of going to their school and wondered why!
We tried to have a look at the rest of the school but only got a TV view of what we may think a LA high school would look like. Check out the photos.
