LOVE THEM FIRST: LESSONS FROM LUCY LANEY ELEMENTARY (2019)

LOVE THEM FIRST: LESSONS FROM LUCY LANEY ELEMENTARY (2019)

NAME OF FILM: LOVE THEM FIRST: LESSONS FROM LUCY LANEY ELEMENTARY (2019)

DIRECTOR(S): Ben Garvin, Lindsey Seavert

GENRE: Documentary Film

SYNOPSIS: Follow the determination of a charismatic North Minneapolis school principal, Mauri Melander Friestleben, as she sets out to undo history. Not only does Minnesota have the largest achievement gap between black and white children in the U.S.; Friestleben faced another seemingly impossible obstacle, with Lucy Laney at the bottom of the state’s list of underperforming schools for two decades. Under Friestleben’s leadership, standardized test scores from most black students began rising for the first time, but when the school encounters a heartbreaking setback, Friestleben is forced to confront the true measure of student success at Lucy Laney. It’s a story of inspiration, heartbreak, perseverance, and the power of love.