The Educational screen (c1922-c1956])

An A-V conference puts international friendsliip into practice ^^AUuat^, y<U4, Afie Mif. ^Mend" by RAYMOND E. DENNO and FRED F. HARCLEROAD Coordinator of Audio-Visual Service San Diego Coun+y Schools Director, Audio-Visual & Secondary Education San Diego State College y«uiLD AN INCLUSIVE WORLD, "a world in which everyJ^ one is important and has a chance to turn his face toward the sun." Thus Edgar Dale ended his editorial in the November, 1950 Educational Screen. These words ihallenge every audio-visual person to do something active about international understanding. The Planning Committee for the 1951 Spring Conference of the Audio-Visual Education Association of California, Southern Section, decided to respond to this challenge. The first day of the conference had as a theme, "Mjiss Communications and World Understanding." Many different things could be a part of such a topic, but the Planning Committee wanted to do something that might actively encourage mutual understanding between nations. This particular conference had one advantage few others have. It was to be held in San Diego, only twenty miles from the Mexican border. Some members of the I^lanning Committee had already had contacts with the Mexican schools. In the course of preliminary planning with Mexican officials, an interesting story came to light — a story that provided the Association an opportunity to put into act'on our sincere desire for understanding and friendship. Here's what we found out: Each of the elementary schools in Tijuana, Baja Cfa., Mexico, had a 16mm sound motion picture projector — except Escuela Martinez. Last year students and PTA members of the school saved enough money to purchase a projector. Then one of the teachers, while playing with the children in her neighborhood, was blinded by the accidental exploding of a bullet being handled by one of the children. In order that she might have proper hospital care, the school projector fund was used to pay her expenses. The teacher did regain her sight: the school was happy that it could help her through the tragedy; Escuela Martinez was still projectorless. This is the story the Conference Planning Committee representative brought to the next planning meeting, with the proposal that the Board actually do something about the situation. The Board immediately double-checked the treasury and voted unanimously to purchase and present as a gift to the students of Martinez School a lightweight projector of the same type used in the other schools. Now to the conference itself. The program started off with a fine address by Dr. Franklin Fearing of the University of California at Los Angeles on "Mass Communications and World Understanding." A panel discussion followed with distinguished participants: Kenneth Jones of the San Diego State College Radio and Television Department; Frank Gulick, just returned from a sixJune. 1951 ALL FRIENDS. The official group after the projector presentation: (left to right) Prof. Jesus Soloriano (Supt. of Schools, Zone 5, Tijuana), Sr. A. Abarca (City Engineer, Tijuana), Prof. Enrique Rul (Mayor of Tijuana), Henry Sotelo (Student Body Secretary, Martinez School), Raymond Denno (President, Audio-Visual Education Association of California), Prof. Guadelupe de Gonzalez (Martinez School], Argentina Angulo (President, Student Association, Martinez School), Prof. Carlos Ocampo (Martinez School), Fred Harcleroad (President and Presiding Conference Chairman, AudioVisual Education Association of California, Southern Section). month tour of duty with the V. S. State Department's International Motion Picture Project; and an industry representative, L. E. Borgeson of RCA. In the afternoon over 200 audio-visual educators journeyed to Mexico to visit the Tijuana city schools. Children at the Martinez and Obregon schools gave exciting demonstrations of music, rhythm, mass gymnastics, and dancing. Members of the Association also visited classrooms in these schools and a special high school of the district. The entire group of us was strongly moved by the children's stirring rendition of the Mexican National Anthem. School officials gave their entire afternoon and evening, working valiantly to overcome the language handicap of the visitors. It seemed strange — and thought-provoking — that so many citizens of Mexico could speak English and so few of the audio-visual group from the U. S. could speak any Spanish. In the evening the annual spring banquet was held in Tijuana. A special film was screened for the first time, Bridges for Ideas — Communications in an American University. This excellent film had been shot and processed through the combined efforts of the Departments of Cinema, AudioVisual Education, Radio and Television, {.Continued on page 244) 225 k