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'SelectED' to Tell the Story of Selective Enrollment at Beverly Arts Center

By  Howard Ludwig and Stephanie Lulay | February 2, 2016 5:36am 

 The Beverly Arts Center will host a viewing of
The Beverly Arts Center will host a viewing of "SelectED" at 4 p.m. on Saturday. The documentary follows five Whitney Young students through the selective enrollment process.
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Selected; DNAinfo/Devlin Brown

MORGAN PARK — A documentary that follows Chicago Public Schools students through the selective enrollment process be shown at 4 p.m. on Saturday at the Beverly Arts Center.

"SelectED" will be shown in the 400-seat theater at 2407 W. 111th St. in Morgan Park. The 95-minute documentary is produced and directed by Chicago native Kayla McCormick. It follows five CPS students at Whitney Young, and examines the truth and challenges of public urban education as their journeys progresses.

Tickets cost $10 in advance and $12 at the door. According to the film's trailer, 10,000 students apply annually to be admitted to the Near West Side high school. Only 350 will make the cut.

Whitney Young Principal Dr. Joyce Kenner said the raw emotion captured in the film left her speechless when she first saw the movie nearly one year ago.

"We've known for decades that we have something very unique and fundamentally groundbreaking here at Whitney Young," Kenner said. "The process of filming this documentary brought into sharp focus that our little experiment from the 1970s is still a nationwide model for what really works in public education."

The film debuted at the Sarasota Film Festival in April and was first shown in Chicago at a fundraiser later that month. It was commissioned by two Whitney Young parents who wanted to spotlight the school. On the flipside, the film also explores the "dark side" of the stress endured by many Young students and parents, McCormick said last year.

Whitney Young, named after prominent Civil Rights leader Whitney M. Young Jr., opened in 1975 as the city's first public magnet high school and consistently ranks among the top in the country. Alumni include First Lady Michelle Obama, former Duke basketball player Jahlil Okafor, and Lana and Andy Wachowski, the sibling creators of "The Matrix."

Okafor is prominently featured in the movie, which was filmed during his senior year.

To purchase tickets for the show at the arts center, visit the group's website or call 312-952-0219.

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