'Brooklyn Castle' Documentary Highlights Chess Team
This is a great story – and looks like a great film:
The powerful new documentary “Brooklyn Castle,” about the renowned chess team of IS 318 in Williamsburg, shows
how dedicated teachers can enrich the lives of disadvantaged students.
It has important lessons for education reformers.
Over the past decade, the IS 318 team has
won more chess championships than any school in the country. Earlier
this year — after filmmakers finished production — it became the first
middle school to win the national
high-school championship, beating out dozens of elite public and private schools.
The film chronicles five students and the
challenges they face: Justus Williams is “the LeBron James of chess;”
Alexis Paredes is an immigrant striver; Patrick Johnson has ADHD and
uses chess to improve his concentration and self-confidence;
Rochelle Ballantyne endeavors to be the first female African-American
chess master; Pobo Efekoro is the team's emotional leader. (I met the
students at a Rooftop Films screening: They’re as impressive off- as on-
camera.)
posted by Whitney Tilson at 5:00 AM
<< Home