In 2000, singleton put his own lesspolitical spin on shaft by casting samuel l. The ultimate goal of gordon parks elementary school gpes is to achieve the following for and with our students. Gordon parkss longforgotten color photographs of everyday segregation. Gordon parks elementary school located in kansas city, missouri mo. Gordon parks, ondria tanner and her grandmother windowshopping, mobile, alabama, 1956, archival pigment print. Gordon parks rare images by gordon parks of the jim crow. The foundation is a division of the meservekunhardt foundation. Students from prek to 8th grade may take visual art, music and dance, and the school has a teacher for each of those disciplines. Parks gordon parks elementary school kansas city charter. After parks returned to saint paul, he had the film developed at eastman kodak.
For this reason, among others, the state board of education, at the behest of the missouri department of elementary and secondary education. He attended a segregated elementary school and a high school where blacks were not allowed to play sports or attend social functions. It enrolls 173 students in grades 1st through 12th. Gordon parks elementary school kansas city charter. This year, gordon parks elementary dropped 3 slots in our statewide ranking, and ranks worse than 100. Gordon parks high school about gordon parks high school st. The gordon parks school queens, new york ny greatschools. Gordon alexander parks november 30, 1912 fort scott, kansas, usa. Gordon parks is considered by many to be a seminal figure of the twentieth century. Jan, 2014 parks was a poet, author, composer, pianist, painter and most notably a photographer. Gordon parks neverbeforeseen photos of 1950s segregation. Portions of this website are updated daily during the 20192020 school year.
See how gordon parks elementary ranks with other kansas city schools. Trailer for gordon parks elementary a documentary by kevin willmott. The gordon parks foundation permanently preserves the work of gordon parks, makes it available to the public through exhibitions, books, and electronic media and supports artistic and educational activities that advance what gordon described as the common search for a better life and a better world. On assignment for life magazine, gordon parks returned to his hometown of fort scott, kansas, in 1950. Click here to learn about missouri course access and virtual school program mocap acting on its conviction that every child has promise, gordon parks provides urbancore children. Gordon parks elementary is a public charter school serving kindergarten through 4th grade students in the kcmo school district. It was then called unidale alternative learning center for several years, after the local strip mall it operated in. The interview took place in new york, and was conducted by richard doud for the archives of american art, smithsonian institution. The school was named after photographer, film director and local icon gordon parks. The collection consists of the papers of gordon parks from 18782007. The youngest of 15, parks chose to make a living for himself after his mother passed away, and wound up becoming the first african american photographer for life magazine. Gordon parks elementary info including contact details, student to teacher ratio, total enrollment, and more. Gordon parks high school is a public alternative learning center in saint paul, minnesota, united states. Gordon parks 19122006 worldrenowned photographer, film maker, writer and composer was born in fort scott, kansas.
The youngest of 15 children, parks was born to andrew jackson parks, a poor farmer, and his devout methodist wife, sarah, in fort scott, kansas, a small segregated town. Gordon parks 1968 life photo essay thursday, january 26, 2012 at 08. Gordon parks was only a teenager when he left his hometown of fort scott, kansas. Prior to becoming a principal i worked as a business and marketing education teacher and an administrator for career and technical education and alternative education. Parks was born into poverty in fort scott, kansas, in 1912, the youngest of 15 children. Gordon roger alexander buchanan parks november 30, 1912 march 7, 2006 was an.
Gordon parks elementary school, a nonprofit, k5 grade public charter. The picture show he wanted to reach as many people as possible, says curator maurice berger. The gordon parks elementary school in kansas city, mo. The photography clerks who developed parkss first roll of film applauded his work. Having grown up during the height of segregation and racism, parks transcended all who told him hed never. Parks grew up in saint paul, attending local high schools such as mechanic arts high school and saint paul central. Gordon parks biography life, family, children, wife. I am traci gauer, the proud principal of gordon parks high school since 2014 school year. The future generation is at gordon parks elementary.
Gordon parks elementary a film by kevin willmott trailer. Gordon parks elementary is the 1,014th largest public school in missouri and the 49,832nd largest nationally. Students from prek to 8th grade may take visual art, music and dance, and the school has a. Gordon parks elementary is a public charter school serving kindergarten through 4th grade students in. Kirsten liparibraman is the chief operating officer of gordon parks elementary school. A creative pioneer in several fields, gordon parks first became famous for his affecting photographs in the 1940s. Founded in 1999 by dorothy curry and sue jarvis, gordon parks elementary school gpes was named in honor of gordon parks, the groundbreaking africanamerican photographer who proudly endorsed the schools mission of educating urban core children to reach their full potential. A current exhibition at the national gallery of art. Learn more about enrolling to gordon parks at the city school fair on november 9th from 10 a. This year was the firs year we were on a wait list, and we plan to expand to have two more classrooms next year. An acclaimed photographer for life magazine from the late 40s through late 60s, he turned to directing films, his second of which, the blaxploitation movie shaft 1971, achieved success at the box office. She received her bachelors of science in elementary education from avila university and masters of education in reading from northwest missouri state university.
Join show me kc schools for the only school fair in kansas city that brings together district, charter, private and parochial schools. Contact gordon parks elementary school kansas city. Gordon parks photo essay on 1950s segregation needs to be. There are a total of 126 students and 18 teachers at gordon parks elementary. How can a school educate the poorest of the poor kids in the urban core. Trailer for gordon parks elementary a documentary by kevin. The school, founded in 1991, was originally the saint paul area learning center.
Gordon parks elementary school placed in the bottom 50% of all schools in missouri for overall test scores math proficiency is bottom 50%, and reading proficiency is. Segregation story celebrated the work of one of the twentieth centurys most socially engaged artists. One the most fascinating tools of this film is gordon parks intimacy the film has a great deal of gordons own voice and reflections as well as his family, colleagues and friends. Gordon parks high school is a public alternative learning center in saint paul, minnesota. Parks was a poet, author, composer, pianist, painter and most notably a photographer. Enroll now gordon parks elementary school kansas city. Gordon parks elementary school profile, performance trends and mo state ranking. Photographer and journalist gordon parks used his camera as a tool to help the world understand the experience of africanamericans in the u. Meals will be offered to any child ages 118 at 18 sites around wichita. Segregation story teacher resource past exhibition. Gordon parks elementary school kansas city, missouri. After dropping out of high school, he held a series of odd jobs, including pianist.
Gordon parks elementary school, kansas city, missouri. Student letters from gordon parks academy and gordon parks elementary. Gordon parks, in full gordon roger alexander buchanan parks, born november 30, 1912, fort scott, kansas, u. Gordon roger alexander buchanan parks november 30, 1912 march 7, 2006 was an american photographer, musician, writer and film director, who became prominent in u. Twotime sundance director kevin willmott chronicles the first full school year back after kansas citys gordon parks elementary was closed by the state of missouri for low test scores. Gordon parks is most famous for being the first black director in hollywood. About gordon parks high school about gordon parks high. As the film unfolds, it is clear that gordon parks has virtually invented the african american family film. Trailer for a one hour documentary that features gordon parks elementary, a charter school in kansas city, missouri. Images of experience captured on film, when put together like words, can weave tales of feeling. Gordon parks elementary school, a nonprofit, k5 grade public charter school in. How selftaught photographer gordon parks became a master. Paul native gordon parks life and work as a photographer, filmmaker, writer, and civil rights activist provides us with a model for the kind of thoughtful, active, and successful citizens we are dedicated to helping our students become. Gordon parks elementary school profile 2020 kansas.
Oscars best picture winners best picture winners golden globes emmys san diego comiccon new york comiccon sundance film festival toronto intl film festival awards central festival central all events. Save gordon parks elementary school showme institute. Paul native gordon parks life and work as a photographer, filmmaker, writer, and civil rights activist provides us with a model for the kind of thoughtful, active, and successful citizens we. Gordon parks elementary school kansas city, missouri mo. Gordon parks elementary is a k4 charter school in kansas city, mo 3715 wyoming, kansas city, mo 64111 8167536700 this website was created and is maintained by tina monks.
The gordon parks school for inquisitive minds district 29. The gordon parks school, open to children from across district 29, is a small school with solid academics that sees the arts as key to developing the whole child. Half past autumn the life and works of gordon parks. The show unveiled a broad selection of images from parkss powerful 1956 photo essay on a multigenerational african american family persevering in the segregated south. Gordon parks elementary school calendar and handbook 20172018. Gordon parks elementary school kansas city charter school. Gordon roger alexander buchanan parks was an american photographer, musician. Gordon parks elementary school, a charter school in kansas city, has abysmally low achievement scores. The gordon parks school for inquisitive minds district. But before he made movies and wrote books, he was a poor african american. About gordon parks high school about gordon parks high school.
In 1956, gordon traveled to alabama for life to document the segregated south with. Oral history interview with gordon parks, 1964 dec. Gordon parks elementary was named in honor of the groundbreaking africanamerican photographer, writer, filmmaker, composer, and musician. Gordon parks elementary is a public elementary school located in kansas city, mo in the gordon parks elementary. The following oral history transcript is the result of a taperecorded interview with gordon parks on december 30, 1964. Gordon parks academy stem leaders in applied and media arts. Acclaimed photographer gordon parks was life magazines first black photographer.
Gordon parks papers special collections wichita state university. He was awarded the american national medal of the arts in 1988 by the national endowment of the arts in washington d. He set out to tell the story of school segregation through his former elementary school. Library of congress to be preserved in the national film registry for all time. The learning trees distinguished successors are many, from 1972s sounder to this years down in the delta, and they all point back to the learning tree, and the public life of its creator, for no african american filmmaker since.
Unpublished photos by gordon parks bring a nuanced view of. Gordon parks elementary profile, including mo ranking, test scores, and more. In 2012, just percent of students scored proficient or advanced on the states communication arts exam and 17 percent in math. Made by counselor dan kennedy, this film overviews some basic programming highlights of gordon parks high school during the 1617 school year. The gordon parks school located in queens, new york ny. Our mission acting on its conviction that every child has promise, gordon parks provides urbancore children, including those who are atrisk, an individualized education that is balanced to develop. Oct 11, 2015 trailer for a one hour documentary that features gordon parks elementary, a charter school in kansas city, missouri. Were an independent nonprofit that provides parents with indepth school quality information.
The son of a tenant farmer, parks grew up in poverty. Made by counselor dan kennedy, this film overviews some basic programming highlights of gordon parks high. Read on wikipedia edit history talk page print download pdf. In this excerpt from the opening moments of the independent lens documentary through a lens darkly, the groundbreaking african american photographer gordon parks is explored. Thats why each gordon parks elementary school classroom has two teachers. The principal of the gordon parks school is principal ms. He used his talents to chronicle the africanamerican experience and tell his own personal history.
We are making tremendous progress, but need your help to continue the momentum. Like many of the students the school targets, parks struggled with events outside of school and eventually dropped out. Gordon parks elementary school, a kansas city missouri public charter school, currently serves over 175 kindergarten through fourth grade students. The papers, most of which were collected by parks during his lifetime, document his professional and personal life as a successful fashion photographer, photojournalist, novelist, memoirist, poet, film director, and composer, with the bulk of the material from the 1960s to the early 2000s. The photography clerks who developed parkss first roll of film applauded his work and. His 1971 film shaft spawned a series of blaxploitation movies. The preeminent american photojournalist of subsaharan descent. Born gordon roger alexander buchanan parks, november 30, 1912, in fort scott, ks. Boyz n the hood director john singleton called shaft a benchmark in american film and added, i think im walking in the path of gordon parks more than anybody. This documentary film covers aspects of gordon parks life that may not be generally known. Jackson as john shafts even more stylish and volatile nephew, now a member of the nypd. Prior to joining gordon parks in a fulltime capacity in 2016, she served as. The urban school primarily serves students living at or below the poverty level. He attended a segregated elementary school, where black students werent permitted to play sports or engage in extracurricular activities.
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