Before 1960 the Weequahic section of Newark, NJ was largely an enclave of first-generation working-class Jewish families. During this era Weequahic High School was one of the top public high schools in America. One of its more famous graduates is Philip Roth, who has made his career using the Weequahic environs as the backdrop to many of his novels. Life in Weequahic changed abruptly right after the 1967 riots. The Jewish families moved out of the neighborhood and were replaced by poor African Americans. For the next 30 years the culture of discipline was replaced by a culture of crime as academic performance plummeted and the Bloods and Crips ruled campus and the streets. This cycle continued until 2001 with the arrival of a new principal, Ron Stone, who vowed to return the school back to its former glory. He has used the resources available to him to turn the school’s fortunes around. Stone has started a conflict resolution program among the gangs that feud in the halls of the highschool. He has successfully created a truce with the gangs which has resulted in establishing the school as a “non-violence” zone. Principal Stone from inner city Newark, NJ inspires gang members to attend college, if they can leave the comfort of the streets and partners with the alumni, Jewish and African American to raise funds for college scholarships and other activities. During Stone’s time in office, more students even gang members are attending college and finding a way out of the hood. It is the teamwork of Stone and the alumni group that sets this story apart. Heart of Stone shows how inner-city schools across America can rebuild by reaching into their own past to give inner city kids in their old communities something they haven’t had for generations….a future.

Forms: Documentary, Feature
Genres: Urban, Hip Hop
Niches: African American, Christian, Jewish