Students reflect, rethink and reimagine high school

Video produced by Jordan Vesey/Student Reporting Labs

Students and big thinkers in education gathered in Howard University’s Founders Library Thursday to dissect and reimagine the American high school experience.

The conversation was part of Rethinking High School with Soledad O’Brien, a town hall produced by local PBS stations WETA and WHUT with support from the XQ Super School Project.

Youth reporters Bridjett Castell, Emanuel Grimes and Imani St. Clair, from Frederick Douglass High School not only listened to the panel discussion about testing, teacher quality, equal access and learning styles, but they got to interview the television host, Howard University students and Super School organizers.

Photo by SRL Connected Educator Patrice Lawrence/Frederick Douglass High School

Before the event, Bridjett spoke with the town hall’s moderator, journalist Soledad O’Brien. The two exchanged ideas on what is wrong with high school, how parents can help students learn and changes that would make learning fun.

Photos by Anita Wright/Student Reporting Labs

After the town hall, Emanuel and Imani talked with XQ America’s President and CEO Russlynn Ali about how XQ Super Schools hope to do education differently.

In the spur of the moment, Imani had the chance to speak with Lee Hirsh, the filmmaker who produced “Bully,” a documentary following five students in Georgia, Iowa, Texas, Mississippi and Oklahoma over a school year and focused on two bullying victims who committed suicide.

Video produced by Jordan Vesey/Student Reporting Labs

View more pictures of our Student Reporting Labs reporters at XQ America’s Rethinking High School town hall here.