Lots of pencils, lots of books and we
loved our teacher's dirty looks

Education In Smithtown

Conceived and written by Mark Goldberg and produced and directed by Chris Marcantel – both graduates of
Smithtown High School West class of 1976.

Worked on and crewed by current Smithtown students.

A feature length documentary looking at the history and present state of the education system of Smithtown, NY from its beginnings in 1665 through today.

We will be documenting the school buildings, libraries and other buildings used to educate the people of Smithtown, as well as interview educators and students past and present of these institutions.

Other areas that will be studied and documented will be:

• The planning of the entire school districts year as well as the planning of the individual schools curriculum.

• The transportation and feeding of students.

• The role of the PTA and other organizations.

• The role and importance of the town libraries.

• How the school districts are determined and how the town’s population has changed those lines and the opening and closing of schools.

• The history of how some buildings were closed and reopened and where those students were shifted over the years.

• The role of the Chamber of Commerce and other organizations in the education system.

• The role of the Town of Smithtown and the School Board.

• The role of the Smithtown Historical Society.

• The history of school buildings and grounds fires.

• How the curriculum has changed over the years to adapt to the changing technology, world and economy.

• A look at some successful alumni.

• A look at some alumni owned businesses in Smithtown.

• The importance that extra-curricular activities like sports, clubs and music and theater play in the education system.

• The education of special needs students will be studied.

• The exploration of other businesses and institutions that educate our Smithtown residents. Some of these will include Martial Arts, Dance, Music, Art, Yoga and other forms of fitness.

• A look at the Adult Education system.

I have conceived of, and written a lot of documentary films, sometimes as many as three a week.  This is in addition to the many other commercial, narrative and TV series work I do.

I've also written several narrative films and a few TV series, but they can't be discussed here.

Interested in picking up one or more of these properties? Mark

The Documentary Factory which is a division of AVS Production Company has many films which are either in production or pre-production. They are:

Life Is EL - Living and working under and around the elevated train tracks in New York City (In Production)

Step Streets - Where did the Street go? (In Production)

Education In Smithtown - Lots of pencils, lots of books, and we loved our teacher's dirty looks (In Production)

Sake in America - The love for and growth of what used to be a Japanese exclusive drink in America (In Production)

Scams Are Us - You have it, we'll take it (In Production)

In Search of Whale Vomit - It'll help you smell better (Pre-Production)

Oh Deer - How we live with our forested friends (In Production)

Life Before Twitter - The history of the digital era (In Production)

Volunteers Of America - Without Volunteers, we would all be in trouble (In Production)

Legendary Smithtown - How a man named Smith settled in for the long ride after a short ride (In Production)

Tea For Two Billion - Our love for the second most consumed beverage in the World (In Production)

The Life Of Death - Who's there at the end (Pre-Production)

Smart Phone, Stupid People - Your phone is getting smarter, but you are getting stupider (Pre-Production)

1 Dollar For You - Yes, you can still get things in NYC for only $1 including great Pizza! (In Production)

The Deadliest Sport - Is Gymnastics the deadliest sport? (Pre-Production)

50 Years of Planting Trees - The history of Earth Day and the related movements (In Production)

The Trees of NYC - Did you know there are over 881,502 trees in NYC? (In Production)

Can It - What's with all that metal around my stuff? (Pre-Production)

Sprout Poop  -  The care, feeding and love for Sprouts and the World's greatest Virtual Air Band (Pre-Production)

That's a Tat - The history and love of Tattoos (Pre-Production)

Whatever It Takes To Get The Shot - Ken Regan did whatever it took to get the shot (In Production)

It Takes a Second - It can take a second to change your life (Pre-Production)

Drummers - The history of drumming from 5500 B.C. to today (Pre-Production)

Gridded City - Why cities around the World are laid out in grids (Pre-Production)

Blocks of Glass - Why glass blocks are all the rage in construction (In Production)

 New York City Subway Art - There are over 342 permanent works of art in the system (In Production)

Roller Derby Kids - Growing up as a child of Roller Derby parents (Pre-Production)

Bill Graham's Gift - He provided us with decades of great music (Pre-Production)

 Sous Vide - Is this the best cooking technique? (In Production)

Too Old to Rock and Report, Too Young to Retire - Ageism and discrimination in the news media (In Production)

Garden Bay Manor - One of the most serene neighborhoods in NYC with a rich history (In Production)

It's Still a Long Strange Trip - The Psychedelic Culture still exists (Pre-Production)

Are you hiring? - The second most asked question of a record store owner or manager (In Production)

Are You A Turtle? - The history of Ancient and Honorable Order of Turtles (Pre-Production)

I Seem To Be A Verb - The history and legacy of R Buckminster Fuller (In Production)

You're a Rock N Roll Suicide - The sad history of suicide and accidental death in music (Pre-Production)

Props - The story of Props used for Stage, Cinema and TV productions (Pre-Production)

Saved - The story of a brilliant and humble man who invented Naloxone (Narcan) and saved millions of lives (Pre-Production)

The Bridges of Madison Avenue - And beyond.  There are 2,027 bridges in NYC (In Production)

Pollinators - It ain't just bees (In Production)

They Just Don't Give a Fuck! - Women over the age of 85, don't care what other people think of them (In Production)

Only Child - Only children are a unique breed (Pre-Production)

Uh Oh Casio - The history and resurgence in popularity of Casio Watches (In Production)

Time Capsule - 100s of Time Capsules are buried yearly (In Production)

What's Your Number? - No, not that number (In Production)

Garbage Geeks - They love our planet, and want you to as well (In Production)

Love Math - How I will find the love of my life using Math (In Production)

Worker Towns - The history of Towns and Neighborhoods created by companies for their employees - (Pre-Production)

Rats - From pets to pests,  and from labs to food,  these invasive rodents are everywhere in the World except Antarctica - (In Production)

Lather Rinse Repeat - The exploration of people who engage in short term relationships with People,  Places,  and Things,  and then repeat those relationships again and again - (Pre-Production)

Non Alcoholic - The quickly growing industry of Non-Alcoholic drinks - (Pre-Production)

Moving and Storage - Moving is the second most stressful thing in a person's life - (Pre-Production)

You Forgot - Did you forget something? - (Pre-Production)