Students relate to school strains

Hundreds of teens filed into the black-box auditorium at Sage Hill School on March 5 for a school-wide screening of “Race to Nowhere, the Dark Side of American Achievement Culture,” a documentary by Vicki Abeles that has played on the film festival circuit.

From homework to extracurricular school activities, the film explores demands and pressures on American teenagers.

As Sage Hill ninth- to 12th-graders entered the auditorium, some of the students glanced over notes, cramming, as they waited for the presentation to begin. Some came in wearing school sports jerseys.

They all burst into sympathetic groans when a student on the screen talked about a lack of sleep.

When her oldest daughter started having health issues, including stress-induced stomach aches and sleep loss, Abeles, an attorney and banker turned filmmaker, began the two-year filming of “A Race to Nowhere” to highlight the demands placed on today’s students.

“We cannot wait for large institutions to change,” Abeles said. “We have to start making changes in our schools and community.”

In her film, Abeles interviews elementary through college students, teachers, administrators, pediatric doctors, psychologists, high school and college admission directors and parents. All agree that the American educational system is stifling creativity, causing serious mental health concerns and creating an unrealistic worldview for students.

Students at the Newport Coast campus could relate.

“When sleep was brought up, you heard the entire room groan,” said senior Lillian Bush, 18. “That reflects.”

A question-and-answer session followed the screening.

Immediately a hand shot up. A freshman wondered when Sage Hill students can expect to see a decrease in homework.

The head of school was quick to answer.

“I want us to engage in this discussion and see where it can go,” Gordon McNeil said. “If we do this, how will it position you for the future? Will your parents send you to a place that sends this message? I’m excited about this dialogue.”

Keiko Sakamoto, the mother of a freshman, called the screening “courageous.”

“It takes great courage to recognize and acknowledge that the issues exist,” she said.

Perhaps no one sees the issue more consistently than Sage Hill counselor Jason Gregory.

“We’re seeing more and more of this,” said Gregory, referring to student depression, stress-related illnesses and burnout. “Not just here. There’s been a huge rise across the nation.”

Abeles hopes to open the film for national distribution in April.

“As parents we need to stop being afraid,” Abeles said. “We need to start seeing kids as more than just a grade.”