The Documentary: Thriving in Public Schools

A Story of Organizing, Action, and the Power of Education

Thriving in Public Schools is a feature documentary that tells the story of how students and educators in Racine, Wisconsin turned their classrooms into centers of community power.

Based on the acclaimed book Thriving in a Public School by educator Al Levie, the film follows the real-life creation of Youth Empowered in the Struggle (Y.E.S.) — a student-led movement that began inside a public high school and grew into a force for immigrant rights, racial justice, and educational reform across Wisconsin.

Filmed and directed by Emmy Award winning cinematographer Rommel Genciana, the documentary captures the raw, human side of grassroots organizing. Through firsthand stories, archival footage, and new interviews, it shows how collective action born in a single classroom can ripple outward to change lives, schools, and communities.

From student walkouts and community marches to teacher solidarity and the building of lasting alliances, Thriving in Public Schools documents the evolution of youth activism and the educators who dared to make organizing part of learning. The film reveals that education is not just preparation for life, it is the act of shaping it.

Currently in its Development Phase, the documentary is supported by Thriving in Public Schools, Inc., a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to training educators and empowering students nationwide. The film will serve as both a story and a tool, sparking conversations, workshops, and screenings that inspire action in classrooms and communities across the country.