By , Special to JTNews
Northwest Yeshiva High School kicked off its participation in the Milken Family Foundation Festival for Youth with a multigenerational gathering at The Summit at First Hill on Sunday, Oct. 14. With music, distinguished guest speakers, and multimedia presentations, students in two classes at the school, Documentary Filmmaking and Speech, outlined plans for a yearlong project called “Past Times.”
Students will gather oral histories of the local Jewish community and produce these in a documentary format. The results are to be shared with the community at a celebration in the spring.
Paul Mindell, program director with the Milken Family Foundation, flew up from Los Angeles for the occasion. He advised the students and their gathered families and friends “never to doubt where community service can take you.” The Festival for Youth is a community service program that, since 1987, has extended grants to schools throughout the United States to support young people “in projects to help build vibrant communities.” Over one million students have been involved with the festival since its inception. In the Pacific Northwest, other Milken Festival for Youth Schools for this year include Bremerton High School and White River High School in Buckley.
Every 9th-grade student at NYHS this year will, as part of the curriculum, conduct an oral history interview.
Community members who would like to tell their stories to “Past Times” interviewers are welcome to contact Lisa Babinec, director of the Documentary Filmmaking class, or Carol Coe, “Past Times” faculty adviser, at Northwest Yeshiva High School, 206-232-5272.