"Woodruff: A Lesson Of Non-Violence"

Woodruff Elementary school opened under a big top tent in the fall of 1911 when construction of Little Rock’s newest neighborhood school fell short of the opening of the new school year.  But, the doors were soon open and for 98 years it served as an anchor for a changing neighborhood. In 1988, with the neighborhood under siege from gang rivalries, a new era began.  A dedicated principal, counselor and staff launched an experiment in conflict resolution that lasted until the school closed as an elementary school in June of 2009.

Through this experiment, students learned to work out disputes, avoid fights, celebrate non-violence and in the process academic performance and test scores soared.  During it’s final days in 2009, Woodruff finished a run of more than 300-days without a fight and was Little Rock’s only recognized school of "excellence".

Producer Ron Blome, "Woodruff is the story of a neighborhood school that mirrored a changing city for 98 years.  In the end, it was a school that learned how to survive and thrive in the midst of gang warfare and neighborhood conflict."