By: centraljersey.com
MONTGOMERY – As the world becomes more connected, competition seems to intensify, especially for children – but does the end justify the means? That’s one of the questions the documentary film "Race to Nowhere" puts forward for the viewer’s consideration.
"Childhood has become indentured to test scores, performance and competition," wrote Vicki Abeles, director and producer of "Race to Nowhere," a documentary about the pressures American students face in test-obsessed culture, in an open letter. "We face an epidemic of unhealthy, disengaged, unprepared kids trying to manage as best they can. We cannot keep silent any longer. If I don’t speak out and share these stories, who will? And if not now, when?"
This sentiment, prompted by a stress-induced illness in her own child, spurred Ms. Abeles on to producing the documentary shown at Montgomery High School Wednesday night.
It was brought to Montgomery after Christine Petrane, co-president of the Orchard Hill Elementary School PTA, saw it at a screening in Princeton and felt the residents of her community must have the chance to see it as well. So she, along with the help of several others, sought the help of several local organizations to offer the viewing free to the public.
If the 700-plus in attendance was any indication of interest, it may also indicate that students in Montgomery are experiencing a similar degree of pressure.
"I believe that there are many students who feel stressed out in Montgomery," said Ms. Petrane, who has two children in Orchard Hill Elementary. "I hope that the viewing of this film will help bring this to light and help us as parents learn how to help our children."
Each person entering the performing arts center at the high school was given a survey, collected at the close of the screening, where they could express areas of concern, mark programs of interest designed to address them and list changes they would like to see in their school, community and family. Ms. Petrane said they will tailor the followup to the surveys received. We’ve scheduled a meeting with the social and emotional learning committee for next week, she said.
"Through the showing of the film, it is our hope that every person will walk away from the viewing with something positive that they can personally do to reduce the stresses our children are facing and help promote healthy, happy, passionate students," Ms. Petrane said.
"We are fortunate to live in a supportive and diverse community with excellent schools that do a wonderful job educating our children," Ms. Petrane said. "However, in conversations with other parents, I noticed that many of the parents, and the children, are stressed out, exhausted, and overextended. There are many demands placed on our children, whether it be sports, extracurriculars, or schoolwork and homework. Many kids seem to be having difficulty managing the often high expectations for performance."
"I saw the strain in my children as they navigated days filled with school, homework, tutoring and extracurricular activities," wrote Ms. Abeles, a former Wall Street lawyer. "But it wasn’t until the crisis of my 12-year-old daughter being diagnosed with a stress induced illness that I was determined to do something. After months of long evenings battling homework assignments, studying for tests and panic attacks in the middle of the night, we found her doubled over in pain, and rushed her to the emergency room. Her cheerful faeade and determination to keep up had masked her symptoms to us, to her friends and to her teachers."
The film is a compilation of interviews with students, teachers, parents, education experts each shedding light on issues surrounding the wisdom of relentless competition. One young student from Georgia said in the film that she worked until becoming ill and wondered what the point was of working so hard to get into the right college so you could have a career you love so you could be happy – if you weren’t healthy.
Shortly after embarking on the journey to make the film, a tragedy struck in Ms. Abeles’ community. Devon Marvin, a 13-year-old girl, committed suicide. Her mother said in the film that her daughter showed no signs that it was coming, that she had scoured her daughter’s belongings, e-mails and text messages and could find no explanation, no red flag. What she did know, though, was that her daughter loved math, that she had been good in math until she reached eighth-grade algebra. She failed one test and came home utterly devastated.
Devon’s father said he thought something was wrong and was told by the school guidance counselor after expressing his concerns that his daughter was being a 13-year-old – and that he had five more years of it.
As a culminating activity on Wednesday night, round-table discussions were held where participants were encouraged to reflect, advise, share, debate and question issues the film raised. Approximately 10 percent of the audience stayed to participate in the discussions, which ranged from public policy to how an individual addresses these concerns at home.
Ms. Abeles’ non-traditional means of distribution, after the film’s theater release in New York and Los Angeles, was intended to start conversations and ultimately bring about shift in thinking. Interest has spread via word-of-mouth and interested communities have shown it at their own initiative.
Montgomery’s viewing cost $1,500, half of which was paid by the Montgomery/Rocky Hill Municipal Alliance. The remaining half was shared by the local PTOs and PTAs and the Montgomery Township Education Association.
The film’s website – www.racetonowhere.com – encourages viewers to take action by attending school board meetings, advocating for change through letter-writing to state and federal representatives and education departments and participating in the dialogue on matters involving education.

