Southern Lens

• Southern Lens Home
• About/Contact Us
• Independent Vision Award
• Production Credits

Upcoming Films

• David’s Boat Voyage of the Swamp Fox

• Children of All Ages

• Threads of Victory: Upcountry South Carolina during World War II

• Film Series A-Z

Stay Connected

Alpha Class

Alpha Class is a film about high school students in a failing school system, facing daunting personal challenges in a time of economic crisis. It is a story of the power of an idea borne in the face of injustice to transform the lives of a group of bright, but challenged rural southern youth. The story began four years ago when Elon University President Leo Lambert opened the local newspaper and was shocked to learn of the potential closing of a low performing high school a few miles away. One year later, 26 of the most academically promising but socially and economically challenged students in the county were made an offer: trade one month of your summer vacation and nine Saturdays a month for the next three years for the training and opportunities that could launch you into the college of your choice.

Under the direction of university professor Deborah Long, the Elon Academy brought these students to Elon’s campus to learn the skills they would need to make the most of a high school educational system that was not prepared to deal with them.

The Alpha class has now graduated from high school. This film profiles four students from the class. Their stories are cautionary tales, balancing exuberant hope with the stark realities of being poor in America today.