'Selected' follows students trying to get into Whitney Young

CHICAGO (WLS) -- In a compelling new documentary, the best and brightest students of Chicago are competing for a chance to go to Whitney Young High School, one of the finest in the country.

Kayla McCormick is the producer and director of "Selected."

"For many children getting into a high school like Whitney Young is the difference between a life of poverty and a life of success," Kayla McCormick said.

"Selected" is a play on words. A selective-enrollment high school, Whitney Young Magnet School on Chicago's Near West Side is one of the most coveted programs in the city- and the nation. The documentary looks at what lengths parents and children go to in order to be selected to attend Whitney Young.

Kelly Waller and her husband came up with the idea for the film. She's the executive producer and a Whitney Young parent.

"We wanted to do something positive. There were a lot of horrible stories going around about Chicago education, but there are some great things going on as well. We wanted to show some of those things," Waller said.

With the racial divide in Chicago ever widening, Whitney Young is diverse in every way and a model for urban education, Principal Dr. Joyce Kenner said.

"It also talks about a dialogue nationally about us not having opportunities for all students in schools, and not being able to select a school that will provide them an opportunity to go to college," Dr. Kenner said.

"Selected" will be shown at The Davis Theater on January 8 at 7:30 p.m.; January 9 at 12 p.m., 3 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.; and on January 10 at 12 p.m. and 3 p.m.