Kern County Schools

Travolta motivates migrant students

Miracles may not be listed on Joey Travolta's resume, but the transformations he helped create for Migrant Education students from June 4-15 in Bakersfield are testimony to what he can achieve. Travolta is the brother of actor John Travolta. He runs a film production company bearing his name and also offers film camps for students who sometimes need a little extra motivation in life.

The Kern County Superintendent of Schools' Migrant Education Program heard about his successes with children in a film production setting from the Arts Council of Kern with whom it collaborated to bring Travolta to Bakersfield. It was somewhat astonishing to see Travolta coaxing students for whom English is a second language to not only act but sing in just over a week's time for a production with an American Bandstand kind of theme. One of the songs for which they auditioned was "I Feel Pretty" from the movie and play "Westside Story." Several students were shy and afraid to try. But every time one said he or she could not do it, Travolta merely repeated the line until they tried and complemented them on their effort.

There is a line in the song that goes, "I feel fizzy and funny and fine," and in trying to urge his young cohorts out of their shyness, Travolta got tongue-tied himself a few times, producing laughter but a more relaxed delivery from the students.

"I was originally a special education teacher," Travolta said. "Then, four years ago I started acting and film making classes for children. When an article about a film festival award I won reached the papers, I got a call from a woman with a 15-year-old autistic son. She asked if I could do a class for special education students. Her son wanted to make a film about what it's like to be autistic. We taught him how to do it and made a documentary. Five hundred people came out to see how using the "spontaneity" of film making can transform people. It got the ball rolling for our student film camps."

Travolta's Bakersfield film camp took place at the Weill Institute giving Migrant Education middle and high school students an intensive, hands-on opportunity to learn about film making, culminating in the production of their own project at the end of the session. Students were broken into groups by abilities and talents. Trained by members of Travolta's company, each learned how to storyboard their own public service announcements, write story lines and dialog, act, sing, light scenes, apply makeup, use audio equipment, shoot cameras, direct and edit.

Philomena Hall, migrant education program coordinator, said of the experience, "This was a great opportunity for our students, offering them the chance to work with, learn and be motivated by an industry professional. Each student got to do it all. It was a great educational experience with their training paralleling curriculum genres, vocabulary, writing and more."

As Travolta worked with the students on their singing auditions, one student, Toransi Hernandez, apologized that she would not be able to audition because she didn't understand that much English. Before Travolta finished, Hernandez was laughing, singing and enjoying the experience.

"It was fun. I was a little afraid but not now," Hernandez said later.

"It is a very empowering, sponge-like experience," Travolta said. "They are looking to find their own voice, to have someone listen to them -- giving them an opportunity to do what they want to do and be creative. I call my productions inclusion films because I treat everyone the same. We will go at whatever pace needs to be taken. Learning becomes fun, and it's incredible the change that takes place in just over a week's time."