Did
anyone see Frontline’s Country Boys last night?
It’s an excellent three-part film by David Sutherland (of "The Farmer’s Wife" fame) that profiles the life of
two young men growing up in Eastern Kentucky’s Appalachian region. The film chronicles three years (1999-2002) in the
life of Chris Johnson and Cody Perkins, two at-risk adolescents who are students at The David School, a private school that serves high school students
with deficient academic skills, most of whom live at or below the poverty level. It’s especially fascinating to me to
watch this film because I visited David 13 years ago, but I imagine that many will be moved by this well-crafted and
intimate look at the difficult life of these two young men and their families. In the spring of 1993 I spent a week in
David as part of a college service immersion spring break program. During that week we stayed in the old David School,
and helped with projects surrounding the construction of the new one (featured in the film and pictured here). I was
fortunate to have met the inspiring Danny Greene, the founder of The
David School, and Mary Myron, the school’s art teacher (both appear in the film) I was quite moved by the spirit and
determination of these people when I visited so long ago. Last night as I watched, I was further touched by the efforts
of these two boys as they struggle to beat the odds that are stacked so high against them in this poor rural community.
Check out part-two tonight if you can, or watch online. The full program will be available for online viewing throughout the week, and last
night’s episode should be up there now.