Rhode Island Stories for March 2013

Gazela
On Rhode Island PBS: March 23 at 7 p.m., March 24 at 11 p.m.
On Learn: March 27 at 10 p.m., March 28 at 5 a.m., March 29 at 2 a.m.

On May 10, 2012, Rhode Island Governor Lincoln Chafee signed legislation designating the soon-to-be-commissioned 196 foot, square-rigged tall ship SSV Oliver Hazard Perry as the state's official "Sailing Education Vessel."

During the summer of 2012, six educators representing Rhode Island's secondary and higher education institutions were selected to develop educational initiatives and programs for the Oliver Hazard Perry.  As part of their training and preparation, these educators joined the crew of the tall ship Gazela, for her 5-day July 2012 voyage from Philadelphia to Newport.  Among them was Dr. Kathy Vespia, chair of the Department of Education at Salve Regina University in Newport, RI.

Gazela is a chronicle of the lessons that Dr. Vespia learned during the voyage. From seamanship and teambuilding to the physical rigors of daily life at sea and self-evaluation, Dr. Vespia's experiences on board the ship left her with a different understanding of what it means to join a crew, how one must rise to the challenge when the educator becomes the learner, and how the "needs of the ship" directly relate to the classroom experience.

Telling Stories
On Rhode Island PBS: March 23 at 7:30 p.m., March 24 at 11:30 p.m.
On Learn: March 27 at 10:30 p.m., March 28 at 5:30 a.m., March 29 at 2:30 a.m.

Telling Stories is a documentary about unearthing history in Rhode Island. The video chronicles an archaeological dig at a John Brown family farm. By questioning and examining the archaeological process, the film discusses the painstaking re-creation of history - one fragment at a time - including the heritage of slavery in New England,and the politics of the historical narrative.

Behind the Ribbon
On Rhode Island PBS: March 30 at 7 p.m., March 31 at 11 p.m.
On Learn: April 3 at 10 p.m., April 4 at 5 a.m., April 5 29 at 2 a.m.

Behind the Ribbon is the title of an original nonfiction television series produced by the Gloria Gemma Breast Cancer Resource Foundation and Jai Consulting Group. These short documentaries will feature the stories of patients, survivors and those who have lost their lives to breast cancer, an illness that will affect one in six Rhode Island women during her lifetime.

In this first chapter, "Young Survivors" will feature Mandy Zito, the Foundation's new Young Survivor Program coordinator, and some of the women she has gotten to know since joining the Foundation in September 2012.

A Time to Heal
On Rhode Island PBS: March 30 at 7:30 p.m., March 31 at 11:30 p.m.
On Learn: April 3 at 10:30 p.m., April 4 at 5:30 a.m., April 5 at 2:30 a.m.

Refugee Health Week was developed by Dr. Adam Pallant and Dr. Carol Lews of Hasbro Children's Hospital to offer medical residents time for conversations with refugees about their healthcare needs, their past and current struggles, and the importance of their stories as they acclimate to life in the United States.

For pediatric residents, time with patients and time for reflection is a rarity. Refugee Health Week allowed these doctors time and opportunity to reaffirm relation-based care as a foundation for healing...not just for refugees but for all their patients.