WICHITA, Kan. (KWCH) – A group of Kansas middle school students are preparing to travel to New York City to walk in the footsteps of civil rights photographer and filmmaker Gordon Parks — the man their school is named after.
“I was really excited to be able to do that,” said Tatum Ruzean, an eighth grader at Gordon Parks Academy.
How the trip came together
The trip traces its origins to 2023, when a San Diego professor approached the school about a documentary project.
“Back in 2023, Professor Michael Cheers from San Diego was looking to do a documentary about Gordon Parks. Gordon Parks was his mentor,” said Mary Del Vecchio-Floro, a teacher and trip organizer. “He wanted to do a feature documentary about taking students to Paris because Gordon Parks had took students to Paris.”…