St. Michael's Fundraiser Screening of "Race To Nowhere" Raises Education Awareness

The Parents Association of and the Friends of the J teamed up to show the documentary Race to Nowhere on Monday night to a full house. Newport was a part of a nationwide event, as states across the nation from California and Massachusetts showed the film the same night.

Although the Parent’s Association will benefit from the box office, they said that wasn’t the main reason the movie was being shown in Newport.

 “Our goal tonight is to reach out to the community. Education is so important to all of us, whether our children are in private or public schools,” said Rachel McCall, President of the Parents Association. “We hope that by showing this film, we’ll start a conversation among concerned citizens about making life better for all students.”

Don Mays, a college recruiter at Roger Williams University and Diversity Counselor for St. Michael's, agreed.

“We need to increase dialog about education and I hope this film will encourage people to seek out more information about the issues, then bring what they learn home and talk to one another about it,” he said.

In order to include everyone, the Parents Association sent out announcements to every school in the area inviting students, parents, and teachers to see the film and discuss it.

Race to Nowhere is a documentary about the pressures many high school and even grade school children face today with mounting homework, high grade expectations and extra-curricular activities and the tolls it takes on them. The film highlights issues such as insomnia, decreased problem solving ability, and loss of creativity in students. According to many of the experts in the film, it's not only children feeling increased stress, but also teachers who find it difficult and frustrating to keep up with testing demands. The film advocates that schools lower heavy homework loads and that parents focus more conversations on the children themselves rather than their schoolwork to decrease stress.

After the film, a panel took questions from the audience. Panelists included St. Michael's Head of School Whitney Slade, Don Mays, Kris McCall, the guidance counselor for Juanita Sanchez High School in Providence and the Providence International Arts & Science Academy, and Amy Page, a Portsmouth Abbey parent. 

One member of the audience asked if the pressure was really higher now than it had been in the past, while another parent asked if schools needed to keep the level of competition high to prepare students who could compete with international powers such as China.

The audience generally agreed that stress levels are high at many local schools and the issues in the film applied to Rhode Island students as well.

Page said that she hoped the film would help parents to take a step back and enjoy their children.

“This isn’t the end of the subject,” she said. “If I know St. Michael’s, it’s just the beginning.”