Watts Learning Center: A Documentary-Based Discussion on Community Building Through Elementary Education

In this session, participants will view curated clips from a forthcoming feature documentary film titled A School Grows in Watts, which profiles the Watts Learning Center and its wholly community-based approach to elementary education. Using the clips as guidance and inspiration, participants will discuss the systemic obstacles that may face students from South LA, and a school’s work to identify and address unique needs that arise. Further discussions will explore models and learning tools that center on: celebrating achievement and legacy for black and brown students; reimagining the narrative for a misunderstood community through creating agents of social change in the classroom; supporting parents.

Presented by

Derek Hubbard

Watts Learning Center Charter School

Eugene Fisher

Watts Learning Center CMS

Monique Woodley
Executive Director
Watts Learning Center Schools

Oshea Luja, MrFood4Thought
Producer, Watts Historian, Poet & Author
Watts Learning Center

Ryan S. Porush
Director & Producer
Far Between Pictures / Watts Learning Center

Ryan is a documentary filmmaker from LA. He has produced, filmed and edited films around the world, with an emphasis on telling longform, character-driven stories that give voice to overlooked communities. Ryan’s first film, The Passengers (2020), won the Human Rights Jury Prize at the Atlanta Jewish Film Festival and is available on Amazon Prime Video. A School Grows in Watts is his second film, currently slated for a 2024 premiere and release. Ryan has a BA from UCSB and an MA in Journalism from NYU. He’s represented as a nonfiction creator by Verve Talent Agency.