CityLine: Brockton schools offer educational opportunities beyond the classroom

CITY OF CHAMPIONS IS MAKING A NAME FOR ITSELF IN EDUCATION, ART, AND A DOWNTOWN REVITALIZATION. ASIAN. GOOD AFTERNOON. I’M KAREN HOLMES WARD AND WELCOME TO CITYLINE. TODAY WE ARE HIGHLIGHTING BROCKTON, THE CITY MADE NATIONAL NEWS THIS YEAR AFTER SOME SCHOOL COMMITTEE MEMBERS CALLED FOR THE NATIONAL GUARD TO TAME THE VIOLENCE AT BROCKTON HIGH. HEADLINES LIKE AMERICA’S MOST VIOLENT HIGH SCHOOL TOLD ONE STORY, BUT MANY INSIDE SAID THE SCHOOL HAD SOMETHING DIFFERENT TO SAY. ANY TIME THAT WE GET AN OPPORTUNITY TO SHOWCASE OUR STUDENTS, THEIR SKILLS, THEIR TALENTS AND AS SUCH, WE NEED TO GET WE NEED TO GET PEOPLE HERE TO SEE IT AND REALLY TO DISPLAY IT ACROSS THE REGION. BROCKTON HIGH SCHOOL PRINCIPAL KEVIN MCCASKILL HAS BEEN AT THE SCHOOL ABOUT SIX MONTHS AND IS QUICK TO TELL YOU THE TIDE IS TURNING ON THE NEGATIVE NARRATIVE. THE STUDENTS WERE VERY ADAMANT ABOUT THIS IS NOT BROCKTON HIGH SCHOOL. IT’S A SEGMENT OF OUR POPULATION THAT’S THAT ARE DOING THESE THINGS, BUT IT DOESN’T DEFINE WHO WE ARE. AND IT WAS GREAT. YOU KNOW, A FEW MONTHS BACK WHEN THE COMMUNITY CAME TO BAT, YOU KNOW, SHOWING THEIR SUPPORT. SO THERE’S A GROUNDSWELL OF SUPPORT HERE. THEY WANT BETTER. WE WANT BETTER. AND I THINK OVER TIME YOU’LL SEE BETTER. THIS IS THE TOTAL PACKAGE AND ALL THE STUFF THAT WE HAVE THAT JUST TRANSFORM HIRED. THAT’S A SNAPSHOT. WE WE KNOW WE NEED TO GET BETTER AT A LOT OF FACETS, BUT WE NEED TO ALSO SHOWCASE THE TRUE ESSENCE OF WHO WE ARE. EXAMPLES OF EXCELLENCE CAN BE FOUND IN EVERY CORNER OF THE SCHOOL. A FIRST PLACE FINISH FOR THE SCHOOL’S DRAMA CLUB AT THE STATE COMPETITION, STUDENTS WITH A DEEP DEDICATION TO STEM LEARNING, WHO DEVOTED A SCHOOL YEAR’S WORTH OF SATURDAYS TO PREPARING FOR ROBOTICS COMPETITIONS AND THE OPPORTUNITIES THAT COME FROM EXCELLENCE AND OFFER FROM THE PRESIDENT OF LIVINGSTONE COLLEGE AND HBCU IN NORTH CAROLINA. IF YOU HAVE A 3.5 AND HIGHER AND THAT’S ON A 4.0 SCALE, I WILL OFFER YOU A PRESIDENTIAL SCHOLARSHIP TO GO TO LIVINGSTONE COLLEGE. AT THE 38TH ANNUAL FINE ARTS SHOW, THE SCHOOL OPENED ITS DOORS TO THE COMMUNITY. SARAH RICHARDS, THE DIRECTOR OF THE ART DEPARTMENT, SAYS THIS IS AN OPPORTUNITY TO BETTER UNDERSTAND WHAT IS HAPPENING IN STUDENTS LIVES. WE NOT ONLY STRIVE TO HAVE OUR KIDS BE TECHNICALLY GOOD ARTISTS, BUT THAT THEY’RE CONCEPTUALLY GOOD ARTISTS, THAT THEY’RE COMMUNICATE THINGS THAT ARE IMPORTANT TO THEM. THEIR CULTURE, THEIR HISTORY, THINGS THAT ARE ON THEIR MIND. POLITICAL ISSUES, PERSONAL ISSUES. SO THEY’RE VERY CONNECTED TO THEIR ARTWORK. SO THAT’S WHY YOU WILL SEE A GREAT VARIETY OF WORK. THE TEACHER SAID, LIKE, OH, THIS IS SOME REALLY GOOD STUFF. SENIOR JOSHUA TUNIS, WHO PLANS TO STUDY ART AT UMASS DARTMOUTH THIS FALL, USED THIS RETROSPECTIVE OF HIS WORK THIS YEAR TO DISPLAY A RANGE OF EMOTIONS. THERE’S LIKE LONELINESS, THERE’S A FOGGY FEELING, THERE’S A FEELING OF LIKE SADNESS AND DROWNING AND ALL THAT. THERE’S A BURST OF ANGER BECAUSE, LIKE, YOU’RE TRYING TO BE SOMEONE YOU’RE NOT AND I REALLY LIKE THIS PIECE THE MOST BECAUSE IT’S SOMETHING THAT REALLY RESONATES WITH ME MOST. IT’S A REJECTION OF INTIMACY, I’D SAY FOR MYSELF, LIKE FEELING YOU’RE UNDESERVING OF COMFORT WITH THE HAND IN THE BLACK SHOWING, LIKE GETTING DRAGGED BACK DOWN TO THAT LEVEL OF LIKE, YOU DON’T DESERVE WHAT’S HAPPENING TO YOU RIGHT NOW. SO I’VE HAD JOSHUA SINCE HE WAS A FRESHMAN. VISUAL ARTS INSTRUCTOR AARON DE SIMONE WANTS PEOPLE TO KNOW ABOUT THE DEPTH OF THE TALENT OF THE STUDENTS IN THEIR PROGRAM. THIS IS MY 18TH YEAR IN BROCKTON. THE ART DEPARTMENT HAS ALWAYS BEEN SOMETHING THAT HAS BEEN VALUED AND STRONG. WHEN WE GO TO REGIONAL COMPETITIONS AND OTHER SHOWS AROUND THE STATE, STUFF REALLY IS ABOVE AND BEYOND WHAT YOU’RE SEEING IN OTHER HIGH SCHOOLS AND WE WANT PEOPLE TO KNOW THAT THERE ARE GREAT THINGS HAPPENING IN THE ART DEPARTMENT. KIDS ARE USING THEIR CREATIVE VOICE. THEY ARE GOING OFF TO ART SCHOOL. THEY ARE GETTING CAREERS IN THE ARTS. AND THIS IS A WONDERFUL ENVIRONMENT THAT FOSTERS THAT FOR THEM. THE PRICE OF COLLEGE HAS NEVER BEEN HIGHER. RECENT REPORTS HAVE SOME OF THE TOP UNIVERSITIES IN MASSACHUSETTS PASSING $90,000 PER YEAR IN TUITION. NEW HEIGHTS CHARTER SCHOOL IN BROCKTON IS GIVING ITS STUDENTS A HEAD START ON EARNING CREDITS THAT WILL HELP THEM SAVE TIME AND MONEY. OMARI WALKER IS THE SCHOOL’S EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR AND ONE OF ITS FOUNDERS. WE PITCHED THE SCHOOL TO THE STATE IN 2013, 2014, AND AT THE TIME, UM, EARLY COLLEGE HADN’T BEEN A THING. IT HAD NEVER BEEN ANY THING THAT MASSACHUSETTS HAD IMPLEMENTED IN ANY SCHOOL. WE HAD DONE DUAL ENROLLMENT, BUT THE WHOLE IDEA OF A WALL TO WALL EARLY COLLEGE DID NOT EXIST. THE GOAL IS TO HAVE AT LEAST HALF THEIR GRADUATES EARN AN ASSOCIATE’S DEGREE FOR FREE THROUGH THEIR PARTNER SCHOOL, MASSASOIT COMMUNITY COLLEGE. THAT DOESN’T MEAN ASSOCIATE DEGREE FOR EVERYBODY, BUT IT MEANS AN ASSOCIATE’S DEGREE FOR MOST SHIMMY JANVIER IS ATTENDING CURRY COLLEGE IN THE FALL. THE SCHOOL WILL ACCEPT HER CREDITS, BUT WHAT SHE GAINED FROM ALREADY TAKING COLLEGE CLASSES IS MORE THAN THE MONEY SAVED. I’VE ALREADY GOT A HEAD START AND I GOT TO DIP MY TOE INTO LIVING THE COLLEGE LIFE. I WOULD SAY HAVING THAT FREEDOM, TAKING THE CLASSES, SEEING WHAT IT’S LIKE. SO I KNOW A LITTLE BIT WHEN I WHEN I GO, I’M PREPARED BECAUSE YOU’RE, UM, TAKING A COLLEGE CLASS. YOU HAVE TO BE RESPONSIBLE. YOU’RE RESPONSIBLE FOR WHAT YOU DO AND MAKING SURE YOU’RE GETTING IN YOUR WORK DONE ON TIME, AND THAT IT’S THE WORK IS DONE WELL AND YOU, BECAUSE IT’S YOU BEING IN CHARGE OF YOURSELF. YOU HAVE TO REGULATE YOUR TIME, MANAGE YOUR TIME. AN ANNUAL SERVICE LEARNING TRIP TO THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC GIVES THE STUDENTS PERSPECTIVES ON THE CHALLENGES FACING ETHNIC HAITIANS IN THE COUNTRY. WE ARE NOT THERE TO DICTATE WHAT IS TO BE DONE THAT YOU KNOW IT’S IMPORTANT FOR US TO GO THERE AS LEARNERS AND UNDERSTAND FROM THE COMMUNITIES WHAT IT IS THAT THEY NEED US TO DO AND WHAT THEY WANT US TO DO, AND WE LIKE TO DO IT ALONGSIDE WITH THEM. HISTORY INSTRUCTORS DOCTOR HANNAH VIDMAR AND PAULINE NASSIF GO OUTSIDE THE CLASSROOM TO CONNECT THEIR STUDENTS TO THE BROCKTON COMMUNITY AND BEYOND. STUDENTS ARE TASKED WITH STUDYING THE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS, IDENTIFYING ONE THAT THEY THINK IS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT AND FINDING AREAS WHERE THAT’S SHOWING UP IN THEIR OWN COMMUNITIES HERE IN BROCKTON. SO WE HAD STUDENTS PRESENTING ON THINGS LIKE GENDER EQUALITY, STUDYING PAY GAPS IN BROCKTON AND MASSACHUSETTS, MORE LARGELY, WE HAD PEOPLE STUDYING ENVIRONMENTAL CRISIS, CLEAN WATER SAYING THAT, YOU KNOW, IF WE MAKE THESE CHANGES HERE IN BROCKTON, WE’RE HELPING TRYING TO ACHIEVE THE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS FOR THE WORLD. WHEN STUDENTS CAN SEE THEMSELVES REFLECTED IN HISTORY AND ALSO SEE BEYOND THEMSELVES INTO THE WORLD, AND SEE HOW THEIR HISTORY REFLECTS IN THE WORLD AND HOW THEY CAN BE PLACED IN THE WORLD, WHERE THEIR WHERE THEIR PLACE IS IN THE WORLD. IT GIVES THEM A SENSE OF AUTHENTIC CITY AND AGENCY IN THEIR LEARNING. AND ANYBODY HAVE ANY REFLECTIONS ON THE USE OF POETRY OR MUSIC AS A TOOL OF PROTEST, AS A TOOL OF ORGANIZING? ONE GROUP IS GOING TO BE GIVEN LIKE DIRECTIONS ABOUT NONVIOLENCE, DIRECT ACTION. ONE GROUP IS GOING TO BE GIVEN DIRECTIONS ON STRUCTURED VIOLENCE WITH THE SUPPORT OF COMMUNISM. AND THE OTHER GROUP IS GOING TO BE GIVEN TACTICS OF GUERRILLA WARFARE, AND THEY’RE GOING TO HAVE TO DEBATE AS TO WHAT IS THE LIKE MOST NECESSARY FORM OF STRUGGLE AND PROTEST TO ENSURE LIBERATION AND FREEDOM. FOR SOME IN THE FIRST CLASS OF NEW HEIGHTS, GRADUATES HAVE FINISHED COLLEGE AND ARE EVEN COMING BACK TO WORK IN THE SCHOOL. THEIR SUCCESS AND EXAMPLE TO CURRENT STUDENTS. WE PLAN 2012 ON A WHITEBOARD THAT NOT ONLY WOULD WE IMPACT THE LIVES OF THE STUDENTS THAT WE SERVE, BUT WE WOULD SERVE AS A MODEL FOR OTHER STUDENTS TO EMULATE, AND WE WERE THE FIRST ONE BACK IN 2016 AND STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS, WE WERE THE FIRST CLASS EVER, FIRST GRADUATING CLASS IN 2021 TO GRADUATE THE MAJORITY OF ITS SENIORS WITH AN ASSOCIATE’S DEGREE. UM, THERE ARE NOW OVER 50 EARLY COLLEGE SCHOOLS AND PROGRAMS IN THE STATE OF MASS. AND I PROMISE YOU, OUR SUCCESS HAS REALLY OP