BRONX, NY & DuBOIS, PA – A quiet baseball field nearly 300 miles away is the home of a very special and unique program that brings a community together as a family. This summer, two Truman High School media program students packed up their camera gear to tell this unique and touching story.
Teresa Coffey-Carlton and Brianna Wright, both 2023 graduates of Truman, co-produced a 12-minute film about Challenger League Baseball. Challenger League is a division of Little League that allows people with physical and intellectual challenges to take part in a baseball program. In June, the pair traveled to DuBois, Pennsylvania, the hometown of their media teacher Mr. Roush. They spent several days gathering footage of games, interviewing parents, volunteers and players, before working as a team to edit the final product.
Media graduate Brianna Wright
“It’s nice to do projects in the classroom and studio here at school, but the real magic happens when our students are able to take the show on the road and tell the real stories of real people,” says media teacher Dave Roush. “That’s exactly what they did here, and I could not be more proud or excited for what they’ve created.”
The team was invited by Mr. Roush’s long-time friend Angela Stewart. Stewart is the DuBois Challenger Division Vice President. She conceived the idea several years go, but the project was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“This project has been on my mind for so long,” Stewart says. “I have seen the work that the (Truman) kids produce, so I expected that they would do a good job, but I have to tell you; this far exceeded anything I could have imagined. I still have tears streaming down my face every time I watch it.”
“Once you get out here, and you watch it and you see first-hand and you interact with a couple of them (the players), it really sets in what you’re doing.” says Wright. “I feel like the emotions are there in this project.”
Media graduate Teresa Coffey-Carlton
“Seeing the enjoyment that it brought to them (the players) and the emotion that I got to capture with the camera was amazing,” says Coffey-Carlton. “Win or lose, they’re happy. They get to play softball, they get to make some friends and the volunteers are loving it too.”
“I cried the entire video,” says Truman Principal Keri Alfano. “What a beautiful story.”
“Again, I cannot stress strongly enough how important it is to have an administration and a principal like Ms. Alfano who supports this kind of hands-on, real-world learning,” Mr. Roush says. “Without her support, the support of my hometown friends and family – and Ange Stewart.. none of this would have been possible. I’m hoping we can do more with Challenger League in the future.”