Jisu Sheen Photo
Raven Mitchell at Saturday's sneak preview.
165 Years of House, the documentary that New Haven teacher and filmmaker Raven Mitchell is carefully constructing, describes concentric circles of community working together to support young people’s development. Mitchell uses this lens, based on a model called Bronfrenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Theory, to describe the importance of Hillhouse High School over its 165 years of existence.
From interpersonal bonds in the family to parent-teacher relationships, connections to media and beyond, according to this model, each circle of community has an impact on the other levels and, ultimately, the child at the center.
On Saturday afternoon at NXTHVN art gallery in Dixwell, several of these circles were at play as Mitchell presented a sneak peek of her documentary-in-progress to a room full of intergenerational love, support, and family of all kinds.
“This isn’t a one and done,” Mitchell promised, “this is something I want to live on.”
Her documentary preview event Saturday was one step on the journey toward a premiere by the end of the summer. The whole endeavor is part of Mitchell’s new nonprofit Corvus Divinus, putting together community events and canvassing to help people in the area get housing resources and more.
On top of it all, Mitchell is herself a teacher at Hillhouse, one who advocates for a better school for herself, her coworkers, and her students. Her goal, in her own words, is “to cultivate the New Haven we want to live in.”
Before the documentary preview, Connecticut Arts Hero Marcella Monk Flake led a group of the Monk Youth Jazz & STEAM Collective’s young “scholar-artists” in a performance of Useni Eugene Perkins’ poem “Hey Black Child” and two dance numbers, set to Beyoncé’s “My Power” and 1970s disco hit “Ain’t No Stoppin’ Us Now” by McFadden & Whitehead. Flake emphasized the importance of encouraging young people’s dreams, saying, “it goes around and goes around.”
Monk Youth Jazz & STEAM Collective scholar-artists perform poem "Hey Black Child."
As the 165 Years of House preview began, the audience hushed. The documentary took the viewers through the history of the public high school, which used to be called just “New Haven High School.” The film tracked how its circles of community have adjusted to modern challenges like social media, local political turmoil, and a public school system where some schools have 18 to 20 percent of students commuting in from suburbs.
Mitchell focused on one-on-one interviews with Hillhouse teachers, alumni, and students to put together her story. Robert Gibson, one of her interviewees, belonged to multiple categories, recounting his experience in the “House family” as a high school student, his life after graduation, and his decision to pursue teaching, eventually returning to Hillhouse as an educator. Another interviewee, Chakour Baio, said even after a whole freshman year spent trying to leave the school, he’s gained a larger perspective and is now proud to be a House alum.
Hillhouse teacher Robert Gibson in an interview for the documentary.
Gibson in his student days.
It seemed Mitchell’s documentary team was both a reflection of the community around her and a surefire way to strengthen those bonds. Her journalism students from Hillhouse helped with some of the photography for the documentary, getting the rare chance to tell their own narrative on screen. Douglas Russell, the creative director, also did the soundtrack for the documentary. And Tyberiusz Skarzynski, the videographer and editor, was another former Hillhouse educator. Mitchell received a phone call of support Saturday morning from the widow of one of her documentary collaborators, Tom Ficklin, who died before this stage of the project.
Melissa Lillo, Corvus Divinus’s marketing and housing specialist, said the team had to be creative in gathering resources to support these documentary events, citing the halt in grants under the new presidential administration. They decided to bring the family together to fill in the gaps. Lillo figured out how to construct a food menu for refreshments, and Mitchell’s literal family members were in the room Saturday, key players in making the whole operation run.
Melissa Lillo, part of Mitchell's team.
Mitchell’s mother, Vivian Mitchell, and father, Anthony Mitchell, were behind the food counter, making sure everyone got a plate. Vivian Mitchell beamed behind generous trays of fruit, buffalo chicken dip, and nachos, offering sheets of aluminum foil as the event was winding down so people could take plates for home. When someone in line mentioned wanting to get some of the banana pudding, Vivian Mitchell responded, “Come get you a lot of some!” She found it obvious that, as Raven’s family, she should be there to support in any way she could. “That’s my baby!” she said.
Mitchell’s children were there as well, offering chairs to the guests, managing the room, and distributing shirts. The first 20 RSVPs received a free shirt, and more were available for a fee that went toward making the next event possible.
At first, Mitchell said, she thought it would be a lot harder to pull this documentary project off. But she brought up the idea with one person, who brought it up to another, and so on. “I got a lot more support than I thought I would,” she said. Her documentary itself served as an explainer for how one person’s idea could translate to a film, a packed preview event with refreshments and performances, customized shirts, and the hope of a big premiere later in the year. What more did Mitchell have to say? She’s part of the House family.
Custom shirts for sale at the event.