CAPS Benefit: A Night of Music + Film
Saturday’s benefit for College Achieve Public Schools was held at Transparent Clinch Gallery and the night kicked off with Southern New Jersey’s premier of the new documentary: “91%: The Story of Triumph and Determination” which features CAPS Paterson scholars — a fifth-grade class — whose 91% percent proficiency rate in English Language Arts (ELA) on the New Jersey Student Learning Assessment (NJSLA) highlights the extraordinary academic achievements at College Achieve Paterson Charter Schools.
From Left to right: CAPS Asbury, Head of Schools Jasonn Denard, CAPS CEO Michael Piscal, Director Jamal Hall, CAPS Asbury, Principal Kimberly Wright-White, CAPS Asbury, Middle School Supervisor Monica Hancock, CAPS Paterson, Executive Director/CAO Dr. Gemar Mills.
Official trailer for 91%: The Story of Triumph and Determination
Following the film’s screening, there was an engaging Q+A session with the Director, Jamal Hall and the Executive Producer Gemar Mills.
The event also featured a powerful live musical performance by Luke Henry, an up‑and‑coming Nashville‑based singer/songwriter. His musical style can be described as Americana.
Luke was joined by not one, but two special guests: First we had Stringbean, known for his eclectic mix of blues, folk, gospel, and reggae. Kenny “Stringbean” Sorensen is a multi-instrumentalist and is a fixture on the Asbury Park music scene. Stringbean played harmonica for an stunning performance.
The performance concluded with none other than Danny Clinch capping off the night of film, conversation, live music, and community. In addition to being the owner of Transparent Clinch Gallery, Danny Clinch is an award‑winning photographer and multi‑disciplinary artist. His work has appeared in publications such as Vanity Fair, Spin, Rolling Stone, GQ, and Esquire, on hundreds of album covers, and in many global advertising campaigns. He has published four books. Danny has also directed various short films and music videos, and has received three Grammy Award nominations for his work as a director. He was even the subject of a 60 Minutes episode which aired on Feb. 14, 2016. Click this link to read the transcript of the episode. In recent years, Danny has expanded his presence as a founder and partner for the groundbreaking music, surfing, and arts festival Sea.Hear.Now.
