When Kelsey Carroll gets mad, she says, 鈥淚 don鈥檛 think. I just do.鈥� She鈥檚 a self-proclaimed 鈥渂itch鈥� who says she鈥檚 into safety pins, piercings, and tattoos (she has at least five). Life isn鈥檛 鈥淏arbies and glitter.鈥�
The reaction of one of the teachers at her high school: 鈥淚 don鈥檛 want that kid in my class.鈥�
Kelsey鈥檚 struggles with her ADHD, her anger, and graduating high school鈥攁fter five years鈥攁re the subject of a new documentary, 鈥溾�� which was screened this week at a federal Education Department .
The movie, by Dan Habib, the filmmaker in residence at the Institute on Disability at the University of New Hampshire, is intended to show one approach to working with students with emotional and behavioral disorders. Of students with disabilities, students with emotional and behavioral disorders are among to graduate high school.
Habib, whose other work includes the film 鈥�,鈥� about his own son, said he wanted to make this movie to tell the story of students who are often judged because of the way they behave and perceived as acting out solely to get attention.
In Kelsey鈥檚 case, in addition to ADHD, Kelsey had experiences with self-mutilation, sexual abuse, and homelessness. Her mother has had problems with drug and alcohol and her father finds it difficult to be supportive of Kelsey or tell her he鈥檚 proud of her, even the day she graduates from high school. She decides to quit taking her ADHD medication (which she says she鈥檇 taken 鈥渟ince I was in Huggies鈥�) because of its side effects on her health鈥攌eeping her very thin and uninterested in eating鈥攁lthough it contributes to her nearly failing her senior year. Habib said he briefly considered naming the film 鈥淜elsey鈥檚 Minefield.鈥�
鈥淪he鈥檚 a tough tough kid to deal with,鈥� Habib said. 鈥淪he was on a trajectory toward trouble with the law, substance abuse, failing out of school.鈥� The movie shows 鈥渨hat does it look like when the school changes that trajectory.鈥�
Kelsey鈥檚 high school, in Somersworth, N.H., instituted PBIS鈥攑ositive behavioral supports and interventions鈥攄uring one of her sophomore years. In addition, the school adopted , Rehabilitation for Empowerment, Natural supports, Education, and Work, a facilitated planning and support process for students like Kelsey.
Several school staff members, who Kelsey chose to be her RENEW team, helped her set goals and work to attain them. For example, they arranged to make one of Kelsey鈥檚 interests, learning to be a firefighter, into an activity that helped her earn high school credits toward her goal of graduating high school.
Building a support network through the weekly meetings, giving Kelsey an extra incentive to stick with firefighting, and other efforts were among the school鈥檚 goals for Kelsey. 鈥淔or a lot of kids that perhaps grew up in poverty, they don鈥檛 always have those connections,鈥� Habib said. 鈥淭here was a conscious effort on part of Kelsey鈥檚 school to build up her social capital.鈥�
While there are students with more extreme anger and violence issues than Kelsey, and students who are less motivated, Habib said he chose her to illustrate the type of student teachers might be the most likely to see in their classrooms. But his project also includes featuring students with other emotional and behavioral issues.
Habib ended up showing Kelsey thrive, graduate, develop a better relationship with her family, and land work as a speaker for RENEW. Kelsey, now 21, is considering community college and also works part-time at a clothing store. But Habib said he had no idea how Kelsey鈥檚 story was going to end. The filming crew found out only the day before her high school graduation ceremony that Kelsey would be walking across the stage to collect her own diploma.
But early on in the film, Kelsey seems to predict what it took to got her there, and into a productive adult life beyond high school.
鈥淚鈥檝e had a crappy life and a little bit of caring will take me a long way.鈥�
Photo: Here, Kelsey Carroll, now 21, is with some of the goals the staff at her high school helped her work toward. Photo by Dan Habib.