A Swiss television crew is in Grosse Pointe, capturing a school day at Maire Elementary and spending time with a Grosse Pointe family.
SwissTV, public television in Switzerland, is producing a four-minute segment on diversity in Detroit in an election year.
The network’s U.S. correspondent in New York, Karin Bauer, could not be reached for comment for this story, but she told Maire Principal Sonja Franchett in an email, “I'd very much like to film one hour of class in your renowned school and ask the teachers and the kids about the opportunities they see for their lives.”
The prospect of cameras coming to school had kids talking about what to wear, what to say and dreaming of being on TV.
A Typical School Day
The film crew will take footage around the school at lunchtime today and film the classroom of Barbara Davis during social studies.
During filming, Davis’ class will play a game about the Electoral College, Franchett said.
“She really thought about it, what would be a good way to show the kids learning about our electoral system and democracy in our country,” Franchett said.
A 'Day In the Life'
After school they will follow home first-grader Alexander "Goo" Hurley and his sister, Maddie Hurley, a fifth-grader and then spend time at their home in Grosse Pointe.
The Hurley family – parents John and Melissa and their son Johnny, a seveth-grader, along with Goo and Maddie – are ready for their close-ups.
Melissa Hurley is curious to know just how much she’ll be asked about politics and the election, something she is private about, but she is excited to talk about Maire and Grosse Pointe.
“I’ve got my Rosetta Stone, I’m going to learn the language real fast,” she said, laughing.
“No, really, we are excited to show the Swiss television crew a "day in the life" at school and to get a little taste of our lives here and what we do after school.
“And to talk about democracy, we’re excited about that too,” Melissa Hurley said, adding that the election year is a great time to be a fifth-grader.
She’s not sure what course the interview will take, but she wants to talk about how grateful she is to live in Grosse Pointe and have her children go to school here.
“I want them to know how fortunate we feel to have access to these schools and to teacher who are so supportive,” Hurley said. “Our children can walk home. They have a safe environment. I just want to talk up Maire and how I try not to take it for granted. We are jut so thankful to live in a community like this.”
