Description: Tone at the beginning of the video. Footage of the first day of school at Charlestown High School during Phase II desegregation of Boston schools. Exterior shots of school building. Media crews are gathered at the foot of Bunker Hill Monument to cover the arrival of buses. Helicopter noise is audible. A school bus accompanied by a police officer on motorcycle pulls up in front of the school. Students, mostly African American, exit the bus. The bus pulls away and police line the street in front of the school. A second bus pulls up. The students exit the bus and head to the entrance of the school. Students and teachers inside the school look out the window at the activity on the street.
0:00:50: Visual: Media crews are gathered at the foot of the Bunker Hill Monument to cover opening day at Charlestown High School. The noise of helicopters overhead is audible. An MDC police officer on horseback is stationed in front of the school. School officials stand at the school entrance. 0:01:27: V: A yellow school bus escorted by a police motorcycle escort pulls up to the front of the school. African American students and some students of other races exit the bus and enter the school. Officials and police confer outside of the bus. Shots of exterior of Charlestown High School; of media crews; of helicopter overhead. The bus pulls away from school. Students and teachers in the school look out the window at activity outside. 0:05:53: V: Helmeted police line up in the street outside the school. They receive instructions from their superior officer. Noise from police radios is audible. A second bus with police escort pulls up outside school. African American students exit the bus and enter the school. Students crowd the entrance to the school. The bus pulls away. Police and officials remain outside of school.
Collection: Evening Compass, The
Date Created: 09/08/1975
Description: Exteriors of Charlestown High School. Stop sign, with "Forced Busing" written under the "Stop." Pam Bullard interviews Frank Power (Headmaster, Charlestown High School) about preparations for school desegregation and the coming school year. Power says that his first priority is the safety of students. Power says that flexible campus options will be cut back for safety reasons. Power says that many Charlestown students have transferred to parochial schools and schools outside of Boston to avoid busing. Power discusses about the inadequate facilities at current Charlestown High School building, and is hopeful about the potential of the newly planned building. Powers says that the physical education program at the Charlestown Boys Club will be cut due to safety concerns. While shooting cutaways, Power and Bullard informally discuss his frustrations with the limitations of the school's facilities. Students will eat lunch at their desks because there is no lunchroom at the high school. Bullard does several takes of reporter standup to the Charlestown busing story.
0:00:20: Visual: Shots of the exterior of Charlestown High School school; closeup of stop sign with graffiti reads "STOP forced busing." 0:02:12: V: Pam Bullard interviews Frank Power (Headmaster, Charlestown High School) outside of the school in Monument Square. Power says that he is concerned about safety at Charlestown High School; that safety concerns will force a cut back on the flexible campus program; that the school is ready to open; that he will not speculate on the reaction of Charlestown residents to busing; that students have transferred out of Charlestown to schools outside of the city to avoid busing; that there are plans for a new high school in Charlestown; that programs like physical education at the Charlestown Boys Club will be cut due to safety concerns; that he has worked in integrated schools before; that there are security plans in place for the opening of school. Powers and Bullard talk informally about cutting physical education at the Boys' Club for safety reasons; about lack of space at Charlestown High School; about cutting out the flexible lunch option for safety reasons; about the lack of lunchroom at Charlestown High School. 0:09:28: V: Shot of Charlestown High School exterior. Bullard does a few takes of her introduction to the story on busing at Charlestown High School. Bullard introduces story: Charlestown is expected to have 236 African American students and 524 white students; Charlestown residents are angry about busing; police fear that resistance to busing will be strong. 0:13:04: V: A car circles Monument Square with a loudspeaker blaring an anti-busing message. Bullard does several more takes of the introduction to the story.
Collection: Evening Compass, The
Date Created: 08/19/1975
Description: Kent Elementary School in Charlestown, exterior and open classrooms. Chinese students, Chinese storybook. Bilingual name placards. Interview with principal, Mr. Fuller, on problems of desegregation,the great teachers at Kent Elementary School, problems with lack of parental involvement and the Charlestown community. Ends with silent footage of Pam Bullard during the interview for cut-aways, and footage of the Bunker Hill monument.
Collection: Evening Compass, The
Date Created: 12/02/1975
Description: Kent Elementary School in Charlestown. Arithmetic lesson. Chinese calligraphy. Open classroom. Diverse student body. Students learn how to care for plants.
Collection: Evening Compass, The
Date Created: 12/03/1975