In BEST KEPT SECRET, a Newark, New Jersey high school teacher struggles to prepare her students with autism to survive in the world that awaits them once they graduate.
At JFK High School, located in the midst of a run-down area in Newark, New Jersey’s largest city, administrators answer the phone by saying, “You’ve reached John F. Kennedy High School, Newark’s Best Kept Secret.” And indeed, it is. JFK is a school for all types of students with special education needs, ranging from those on the autism spectrum to those with multiple disabilities.
Janet Mino has taught her class of six young autistic men for 4 years. They must graduate from JFK in the spring of 2012. The clock is ticking to find them a place in the adult world – a job or rare placement in a recreational center – so they do not end up where their predecessors have, sitting at home, institutionalized, or on the streets.
“In and out of the classroom, Mino fights for her kids, first to teach them life skills, then to help ensure they don’t spend that life neglected in a poorly funded state-run home.”
– Washington Post Express
New York, NY
MIST Harlem
46 W 116th St, New York, NY 10026
Thursday, September 5th, 2013 @ 7:00pm
Featuring Q&A with director Samantha Buck, producer Danielle DiGiacomo, subject Janet Mino, and special guests!
Click here for 7:00pm tickets
Saturday, September 7th, 2013 @ 4:00pm & 6:00pm
Featuring post-show panels after both shows!
Click here for 4:00pm tickets
Click here for 6:00pm tickets
New York, NY
IFC Center
323 6th Ave, New York, NY 10014
Friday-Thursday, September 6-12, 2013