Sixty Joe Walker students go Hollywood

MARISSA WIDDISON ^ | Wednesday, June 14, 2006. | MARISSA WIDDISON

[BenLurkin]

QUARTZ HILL - It's not every day middle school students get to arrest their principal or watch a teacher peal out of the school parking lot.

But for 60 students at Joe Walker Middle School, daring escapes and creative costumes were as much a part of the school year as textbooks and rulers.

These students spent months of class time writing and producing their own movie, a 30-minute mystery/action/comedy titled "White Rose."

"I was waiting to find the right teacher to work with," Anderson said.

That person turned out to be computer lab teacher Debbie Fitzpatrick. Since teaming up in August, students from the combined classes have been working on the movie for about three hours a week.

The hard work finally paid off Wednesday night, as the film made a debut in front of 200 students and families at Joe Walker cafeteria. The room had been decorated with red carpet and Hollywood stars for the screening.

"I was kind of nervous," admitted the star of the show, 13-year-old Chantiel Russell.

Russell's hair was dyed different colors for her role as a punky student who was falsely accused of kidnapping fellow students.

The teen escaped from juvenile hall after knocking out one security guard, whose face was covered in Vaseline and coffee grounds to simulate a beard, and outrunning another guard who paused for a doughnut. Russell finally cleared her name when the evil principal was cuffed and the kidnap victims safely recovered.

Class members agreed that coming up with the script was the most difficult part. That bulk of that stressful job was shouldered by Ame Bower, 13, and Taylor Baxter, 14.

Baxter said he was the first to sign up for the script writing, and learned a lot about teamwork from the experience.

[mtbopfuyn]

Sounds like they learned a lot and had fun doing it. The kids made their movie for $150, but Hollywood would turn in a bill for about six zeros more.