It’s hard to run for office – even in high school. And the campaign for student body president at Stuyvesant, perhaps the most prestigious public high school in the country, is almost as sophisticated as any presidential election. Candidates must choose running mates, navigate primaries, write political platforms, perform in televised debates, shake as many hands as possible, and win newspaper endorsements. But unlike presidential candidates, they also have to do their homework, take their SATs and write their college applications. FRONTRUNNERS follows the recent elections at the country’s most competitive high school, exploring how politics works at a nascent level.
Schooling
Quantum Hoops – 2007
Quantum Hoop is about Caltech’s basketball team, a dedicated group of young scholars who play their games with the same sort of persistence they apply to their studies, even though they hold the record for the most games lost. David Duchovny narrates this smart and seductive documentary about smart people who’ve really got game. Read more at IMDB or support this site by buying it at Amazon.
Schooling
Paperclips – 2004
Whitwell Middle School in rural Tennessee is the setting for this documentary about an extraordinary experiment in Holocaust education. Struggling to grasp the concept of six-million Holocaust victims, the students decide to collect six-million paper clips to better understand the extent of this crime against humanity. The film details how the students met Holocaust survivors from around the world and how the experience transformed them and their community. Read more at IMDB or support this site by buying it at Amazon.