Lessons From Littleton

Hoping to illustrate good behavioral aspects of today's teenagers by highlighting the life of Cassie Bernall, one of 11 people killed by two students at Columbine High School in April of 1999, Lessons From Littleton features interviews with Bernall's classmates and friends about how her troubled life was turned around through the help and support of her family, peers, and a church youth group. Divided into three sections, the opening segment, "Teens Reaching Out to Teens," talks with students who befriended Cassie; the second part, "Teens Reaching Out to the Community," discusses her volunteer work at a homeless shelter; and the final segment, "A Teen Reaching Out to a Friend," introduces Jamie, who tells viewers how she was able to make a vital connection with Bernall. Although the Columbine shooting incident was a terrible tragedy, and teens do get a disproportionate amount of bad press, this title seems to be more of a eulogy for Cassie Bernall than anything else (and the third such video, no less, after She Said Yes: The Unlikely Martyrdom of Cassie Bernall [VL-7/00] and She Said Yes: A Video Tribute to Cassie Bernall [VL Online]). More suggestions on getting teens involved in reaching out to others, with stories about other teens who perform valuable community services, would have made this a much better and more useful title. Very optional. Aud: J, H, P. (L. Stevens)