Kickstarter.com/July, 2014
THE FILM
OYLER, produced in association with American Public Media’s Marketplace, tells the story of a dramatic turnaround in one of Cincinnati’s poorest neighborhoods. Before 2006, almost no one from Lower Price Hill finished high school, much less went to college. The neighborhood is Urban Appalachian—an insular community with roots in the coal mining towns of Kentucky and West Virginia. The local Oyler School only went through 8th grade. After that, rather than ride the bus out of the neighborhood for high school, most kids dropped out.
Craig Hockenberry makes his rounds in Lower Price Hill. Craig Hockenberry makes his rounds in Lower Price Hill.
Under Principal Craig Hockenberry’s leadership, Oyler School has transformed into a “community learning center,” serving kids from preschool through 12th grade. Oyler is open year-round, from early morning until late at night. The school provides breakfast, lunch and dinner, and sends hungry kids home with food on weekends. Students can walk down the hall to access a health clinic, vision center, and mental health counseling.
Based on the award-winning Marketplace radio series “One School, One Year,” OYLER takes viewers through a year at the school, focusing on Hockenberry’s mission to transform a community, and on senior Raven Gribbins’ quest to become the first in her troubled family to finish high school and go to college. We’re there for the setbacks, as two murders close to home and a worsening heroin problem erode the school’s progress, and as budget problems threaten Principal Hockenberry’s job. We also see the triumphs, as Raven reunites with her father—a recovering addict—and gets recruited by an out-of-state college that could be her ticket to a better life.
Raven Gribbins aims to be the first in her family to finish high school. Raven Gribbins aims to be the first in her family to finish high school.
WHY IT MATTERS
OYLER tells a gripping story of individuals fighting for change in a unique American community, but it also takes on one of our country’s most pressing challenges—the persistent achievement gap between low-income students and their more affluent peers. Roughly half of the children in U.S. public schools today come from low-income families, and a debate is raging over how to help more of them succeed. Oyler School’s approach—combining academic, health, and social services under one roof—is catching on around the country. But does it work? At a time of growing inequality in our society, your support will help inform the national conversation about how to fix our ailing public schools.
THE GOAL
OYLER has made it this far with the support of American Public Media and the filmmaker’s own funds, with a small group of dedicated volunteers who have donated their time, creativity, and expertise. But the costs of finishing a film like this are significant. We need your help to pay for an original music score, sound mix and color correction, rights for commercial music and archival footage, and a professional website. Your contribution will get us from a solid rough cut to a polished documentary film we can share with the world!
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