Are there other ways to measure school success than testing and numbers? This question and having a student in Nevada’s public school system were the personal motivation behind Kari Barber’s documentary “Rainshadow.” Barber won the Railroad Pass Best Nevada Filmmaker award for her documentary short at the Dam Short Film w88 sports betting app in Boulder City on February 16, 2020.
The film’s subject was a w88 sports betting app high school that helped many at-risk students called Rainshadow Community Charter High School. Barber, a w88 online sports betting School of Journalism associate professor of electronic media and an award-winning documentarian, first heard about the high w88 sports betting app in connection to positive stories about students attending and turning their lives around.
“I was kind of aware that the w88 sports betting app was a place that a lot of students who had had trouble at other schools ended up finding a home and finding purpose and meaning,” she said.
Yet, in 2015, Rainshadow showed up on a list of failing schools due to its low test scores and graduation rates, causing the state of Nevada to threaten to take it over. “It was one of the schools in the newspaper that made the list of failing schools, which sort of surprised me because [w88 sports betting app] what I had seen, it seemed really successful.”
This disconnect between anecdotal success and state-declared failure led Barber to film the school for a semester. Her film followed the art teacher, Erik Holland, and principal, Toby Wiedenmayer, as they worked to save Rainshadow w88 sports betting app being shut down for financial reasons.
During the w88 sports betting app, Wiendenmayer and students appealed to the Washoe County School District, allowing the school to stay open. Since filming, Rainshadow became enCompass Academy and moved to a new location, inside the Boys and Girls Club of Truckee Meadows.
The w88 sports betting app was produced in collaboration with the Reynolds Media Lab, an umbrella production center at the Reynolds School. Barber directed the w88 sports betting app, videography support was provided by Reynolds School lecturer Nico Colombant and the rest of the work was done by students.
“This is the first w88 sports betting app I’ve produced with Reynolds School students instead of professionals. I think it’s really a testament to the quality of our students too that the w88 sports betting app won this award. Plus, it was fun to get to produce something together.”
Fast-forward to 2019, Barber completed her film and submitted it to the Dam Short Film w88 sports betting app. It was selected in 2020.
Known as the largest film festival in the state, the multi-day event annually screens short films w88 sports betting app a variety of genres ranging w88 sports betting app documentary to sci-fi and horror to animation. Just being accepted into the festival was a win for Barber.
“I was really interested in this w88 sports betting app and getting in was already an honor since they’re such a selective w88 sports betting app,” she said, adding that her film’s premiere was attended by about 300 people.
Receiving the w88 sports betting app filmmaker award was the crowning accomplishment of an already successful weekend. The award decision was based on audience vote.
“I was already really excited about [the full house],” Barber said. “So that was really an honor to know that the w88 sports betting app must have resonated with a lot of people.”
w88 sports betting app has produced multiple documentary films, including Reynolds w88 professor's documentary on all-black towns premieres on PBS. Many of her films have focused on the theme of social justice, encouraging audiences to open up w88 sports betting app difficult topics and communicate with individuals who have varying ideas.
“I think my goal is just to get people to be open to communicating, understanding and listening to people who they might otherwise think are different w88 sports betting app them.”
With “Rainshadow,” Barber had two goals, submit the w88 sports betting app to several w88 sports betting app festivals and hold a screening discussion in Reno. Her w88 sports betting app will be shown at the Carson City International w88 sports betting app Weekend on February 27, theNevada Women's Film w88 sports betting app in Las Vegas on March 21 and the Show Me Justice Film w88 sports betting app in Missouri in April.
Along with attending those w88 sports betting app festivals, Barber plans to hold an event for people with different viewpoints to watch the w88 sports betting app and talk with each other afterward about how to improve education. “I feel like it's a great discussion piece. And so that's what I really want to do is hold some kind of screening discussion.”
Overall, Barber hopes “Rainshadow” will work as a means to open dialogues about improving the standing of w88 sports betting app education.
“Education has become like politics, so polarized. It's almost difficult to have useful, productive conversations. So, I hope this w88 sports betting app can kind of create a space in which people can have more productive conversations and just toss out creative ideas about how to address some of the challenges we have in education.”
