Summary: Experience graduation day with Claudia Villa as she graduates with teen moms, probation camp kids, and the rest of Alternative Ed's class of 2006
"The Kid Who Got Out" does well to explain the internal sturuggle and overall turmoil taking place inside of a young girl who is just trying to make it in life. This is someone who is very common in society. Someone many people could never get to know or understand. She has made some bad decisions, who hasn't, but she has paid it in full and is patching the hole that is leaking the future out of her life.
Many of us would tend to write off the alternative-school kids, and a whole host of stereotypes came immediately to my mind when I read about this piece. However, I was soon proven wrong - although the piece takes place in the context of one single graduation day, we can see, through interviews with teachers and sound clips, how the narrator has changed for the better throughout her schooling.
There are several aspects of the piece that interested me, such as the narrator's reasons for wanting a diploma, but the best thing about it was that I could recognize my own graduation, and others I've attended, listening to the story. The narrator proves that her graduation, although the students were different, carries the same sense of pride and accomplishment as any other.
This piece, relevant to a number of current issues, including the new exit examinations and the issues surrounding immigration, makes excellent use of both sound and music. The producer skillfully weaves narration, pieces of interviews, and sound clips from her graduation and surrounding events into one coherent, moving story. The personal anecdotes which illustrate the enormity of the producer?s accomplishment make the story both engaging and powerful.
Sometimes you find exactly the story you're looking for.
We just produced an hour-long talk show about how to improve high schools around the country. There's about a thousand plans out there...from college-level courses in high school, to year-round classes, to more testing...and, as in this case, versions of the California exit exam.
This student's well-written personal essay clearly filled the bill for a follow up segment we want to do...but it's more than just timely.
This story is compelling, and moves quickly, stopping to ruminate only where warranted.
As I think we often set the bar too low for high school grads, we also set the bar too low for much youth-produced journalism.
This story smoothly pole-vaults over the high expectations of professional radio.
Comments for The Kids Who Got Out - My Graduation Day
Produced by KRCB Voice of Youth
Other pieces by KRCB Voice of Youth
Rating Summary
4 comments
Martin Macias, Jr.
Posted on October 25, 2006 at 05:37 PM | Permalink
Review of The Kids Who Got Out - My Graduation Day
"The Kid Who Got Out" does well to explain the internal sturuggle and overall turmoil taking place inside of a young girl who is just trying to make it in life. This is someone who is very common in society. Someone many people could never get to know or understand. She has made some bad decisions, who hasn't, but she has paid it in full and is patching the hole that is leaking the future out of her life.
Emily Raymond
Posted on July 24, 2006 at 09:38 AM | Permalink
Review of The Kids Who Got Out - My Graduation Day
Many of us would tend to write off the alternative-school kids, and a whole host of stereotypes came immediately to my mind when I read about this piece. However, I was soon proven wrong - although the piece takes place in the context of one single graduation day, we can see, through interviews with teachers and sound clips, how the narrator has changed for the better throughout her schooling.
There are several aspects of the piece that interested me, such as the narrator's reasons for wanting a diploma, but the best thing about it was that I could recognize my own graduation, and others I've attended, listening to the story. The narrator proves that her graduation, although the students were different, carries the same sense of pride and accomplishment as any other.
Eilis O'Neill
Posted on June 24, 2006 at 11:23 AM | Permalink
Review of The Kids Who Got Out - My Graduation Day
This piece, relevant to a number of current issues, including the new exit examinations and the issues surrounding immigration, makes excellent use of both sound and music. The producer skillfully weaves narration, pieces of interviews, and sound clips from her graduation and surrounding events into one coherent, moving story. The personal anecdotes which illustrate the enormity of the producer?s accomplishment make the story both engaging and powerful.
John Dankosky
Posted on June 12, 2006 at 08:21 AM | Permalink
Review of The Kids Who Got Out - My Graduation Day
Sometimes you find exactly the story you're looking for.
We just produced an hour-long talk show about how to improve high schools around the country. There's about a thousand plans out there...from college-level courses in high school, to year-round classes, to more testing...and, as in this case, versions of the California exit exam.
This student's well-written personal essay clearly filled the bill for a follow up segment we want to do...but it's more than just timely.
This story is compelling, and moves quickly, stopping to ruminate only where warranted.
As I think we often set the bar too low for high school grads, we also set the bar too low for much youth-produced journalism.
This story smoothly pole-vaults over the high expectations of professional radio.
Airing on WNPR's Where We Live on June 21.