Want to go? "Race to Nowhere" A film presentation for the community Monday, March 14, 6 pm Daniel Island School Multi-Purpose Room Hosted by the Daniel Island School faculty and administration, the Parent Teacher Association, and the School Improvement Council. The film is for ADULTS ONLY and will be shown free of charge, but optional donations will be accepted at the door. To register, please visit the website http://www.racetonowhere.com/screenings/daniel-island-school. For additional information on the film, visit www.racetonowhere.com.

Hanahan High School freshman Kaleigh Sandness is like many teens her age. She’s taking all of the honors level courses she can, including English, Physical Science, Global Studies and Geometry. She also plays two sports. Tayler Schilling, a junior at Bishop England High School, tries to get in as much sleep as she can after squeezing in a packed day of school, meetings, one to six hours of homework, and volleyball conditioning and practice.

"I do like to stay somewhat busy," said Schilling, who is also on the Bishop England Junior Board and in the Key Club. "But it is hard to accomplish all that I have to in a day…There are only so many hours!"

"I feel that my workload, although challenging at times, is a fair amount," added Sandness. "…I definitely feel the pressure sometimes, since I am a two-sport athlete right now. I wouldn’t change it though. Sports get my mind off of everything."

Like Schilling and Sandness, Daniel Island School eighth grader Jack Conroy is a high achiever with an activity-filled life. In addition to school, he plays lacrosse, flag football and baseball, and also takes guitar lessons. One night a week, he attends a Christian youth club as well. What motivates him?

"The image of what my future will be," said Conroy, who added that he is comfortable with his work load, but would like to be challenged even more. "Getting into a good college/law school, (and) my parents."

Are these the normal activities of academically-driven kids with laudable aspirations? Or are today’s students putting undue pressure on themselves to succeed in a society that consistently rewards achievement and performance, despite the physical and mental toll it can take? And are kids really developing the skills they need to succeed?

These questions and a host of others are addressed in the new film "Race to Nowhere," a hard-hitting education documentary about what producers call "the silent epidemic" in schools all across America. In making the movie, concerned mother turned filmmaker Vicki Abeles wanted to tell the stories of students who are being pushed to the brink, teachers who are burned out, and parents who are trying to do what’s best for their kids.

"As a mother, I experienced the stress firsthand and realized that no one was talking about it," said Abeles in a press release about the film. "…I felt compelled to speak out about this crisis by making a film and giving voice to the students, teachers and parents. I wanted to expose a deeper truth about our education system. We are graduating a generation of robo-students, unable to think and work independently, creatively and collaboratively."

The film is gaining grassroots momentum and is being shown in locations nationwide. "Race to Nowhere" will be presented at Daniel Island School on Monday, March 14 at 6 p.m. in a community showing sponsored by the school, the Parent Teacher Association, and the School Improvement Council. Parents, grandparents, coaches, and anyone interested in the education of youth are welcome.

"It will open up the discussion of how we speak to our children, and how we encourage them," said Mary Nemeth, current Daniel Island School PTA President and a former kindergarten and first grade teacher. "For me, this movie will help us change our dialogue, think twice before we quickly respond, and I think it will help us find a balance."

For Daniel Island parent Kecia Greenho, a former third, fourth and fifth grade teacher, the movie is about "getting all of those conversations started."

"We’re just at the tip of the iceberg," said Greenho, who is serving her second term as School Improvement Council Chair at DIS. "…I have a friend who is an admissions counselor at Georgetown (University) and she said what we see are these cookie cutter kids who make straight A’s, perfect board scores, are captain of the volleyball team or captain of the football team, they started non-profits, they’ve raised money, they’ve gone on mission trips and when you look at them, they have a blank stare. They all sound the same."

The reason for that, explained Daniel Island resident Claire Law, might just boil down to lack of information retention, critical thinking skills, and passion. Law serves as the president and founder of Educational Avenues, a consulting firm that has helped hundreds of students and their families select the right college, boarding or private schools that best support the student.

"Kids are stretching themselves to take five AP (advanced placement) courses before college and feeling like their self-esteem is in jeopardy if they don’t," said Law. "…There are some overachievers and they’re happy with that and that’s their personality, but there are other kids that if you put them in that environment, they don’t go anywhere."

Add in a push to cover enormous amounts of material and the result can often create overload for some students.

"The AP biology text is 1700 pages and they have to get through all of them," added Law. "So these kids are staying up until two in the morning to try to memorize, because let’s face it, there is not time for critical thinking. It moves very fast…They can’t even digest it, much less form a critical opinion."

It is a reality not lost on students like Schilling, who seek to excel not only academically but athletically as well.

"There is pressure to be the best you can be, to get good grades, or be the best on your team because of all the competition with the other kids," said the teen. "Also, we feel a lot of pressure to make it into our college of choice, since it seems to be getting exceedingly harder to get into schools these days."

Adult and child psychiatrist Dr. Lori Gerding, also a Daniel Island resident, sees the effects that "constant striving" can have on some students.

"They struggle with academics and performing well," said Gerding, who serves patients as young as age four at the Berkeley Community Mental Health Center. "But in general, I think kids struggle with trying to be perfect, worrying about failing, the consequences of failing, and will they be able to get into the schools that they want to get into? And then on top of the academic load…every school is worried about meeting specific state and federal standards so the teachers are pressed to teach all of this information."

The culture among parents, added Gerding, is often that "my kid has to be the best of the best."

"We all want to provide the best for our children," she said. "But sometimes, I think some people go overboard."

With cases of depression, anxiety, suicide and self-mutilation (cutting) all dramatically on the rise, Gerding hopes the film "Race to Nowhere" will bring about some positive change.

"Seeing it is going to be powerful," she said. "But seeing how parents, the schools, and community respond afterwards is going to make the biggest difference."

"The great part about this movie is it really focuses on doing what’s good for the individual child, your child, not what society is telling you your child needs," added Nemeth. "…The message isn’t good enough unless we all come together to hear it. It’s about talking more about it, being more aware, and reacting a little differently."

Signs that a child/student may be depressed or overloaded According to a recently released study entitled "The American Freshman: National Norms Fall 2010," nearly 52 percent of the 200,000 college freshman surveyed consider themselves "above average" in emotional health, a decline from 2009 results, while the number of students rating themselves "below average" rose. The study also revealed that women were more than twice as likely as men to feel frequently "overwhelmed by all I had to do." Adult and child psychiatrist Dr. Lori Gerding offered the following symptoms as signs that a child may be suffering from depression or academic/activity overload. *Changes in sleep patterns *Changes in appetite *Grades falling *Not wanting to be as involved in school or activities *Avoiding things *Lots of physical illnesses to get out of things (headaches, stomach aches – symptoms that parents can’t "see") *Irritability – A child with depression may not have a sad or depressed mood. They can become very irritable. To get help, or for additional information, contact the Berkeley Community Health Center at (843) 761-8282, the Charleston/Dorchester Mental Health Center at (843) 414-2350, or MUSC’s Department of Psychiatry at (843) 792-9888.