Slug & Lede

“Here I am alive,” said ex-army commander and Hasidic Jew Shimon Waronker. The “here” he is talking about is one of New York City’s most dangerous middle schools. The school has a large latino population and has a long history of violence. Waronker is a Hasidic Jew, which seems like an unlikely fit, but he grew up in South America so he speaks Spanish and this opened a level of trust. I thought the way the video was shot got the message across well, it drew the viewer in and made me want to hear more. There was a good mix of quotes from Waronker, the students and the staff. The images they showed were effective as well, showing the signs in the hallway that were about firearms and other weapons, seeing the police officer at the desk in the hallway. Those images showed you that the violence is a very serious thing. Hearing from students that they were afraid to come to the school and that gangs were very prevalent. Hearing from teachers that gangs were that prevalent and that when punished by Waronker they responded with death threats, it makes it real. Waronker had a hard side, from his military background and a softer side, and both were shown well in the video. You really got the sense that he wants the school to be a success, he wants the students to be successful. Many reviews have noticed that since Waronker came to school 22 the changes have been overwhelming obvious. Before Waronker there were no uniforms and the gang colors were overwhelming, attendance was extremely low and the school test scores were way below the state level. After Waronker attendance is up to 90% and test scores have risen, hearing the personal stories from students made this achievement that much more impressive and real to the viewer. I thought the video did a complete job of representing Waronker and the school and the progress that has been made.