A principal’s class act in New Jersey
The title of Beth Toni Kruvant’s probing documentary “Heart of Stone” refers to Ronald Stone, the remarkable principal of Newark’s Weequahic High School, whose heart is anything but. A rugged 6-foot-3-inch athlete, Stone in 2001 arrived at a school that had once been rated as among the best in the nation but had become one of the worst schools in the 12th most dangerous U.S. city.
“Heart of Stone” is a portrait of a dedicated man — smart, articulate, strong and tough-minded yet warm and compassionate, willing and able to reach out and communicate with his students on an individual basis. It is also the story of the city. Between 1930 and 1960, the Weequahic neighborhood was an idyllic, secure, solidly middle-class Jewish neighborhood, but shifting demographics and brewing racial tensions, which exploded in a landmark 1967 riot, drove Newark’s whites to the suburbs, and Weequahic became a black neighborhood increasingly terrorized by gang warfare. The film also calls attention to the school’s formidable alumni association co-founded by Hal Braff, class of 1952 — and the father of the film’s executive producer, actor Zach Braff.
The group, composed of both older Jews and younger blacks, has been key in supporting Stone’s effort to transform Weequahic, raising impressive sums for college scholarships, supporting the football team and providing skiing outings for students — even a trip to Paris. Deftly structured, incisive and revealing, uplifting without ever glossing over grim realities, “Heart of Stone” offers a hard-won sense of hope and possibilities.
– Kevin Thomas “Heart of Stone.” MPAA rating: Unrated. Running time: 1 hour, 24 minutes. At the Town Center 5 in Encino through Thursday.
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