'Paper Tigers' film to be screened at Northern

A film screening and discussion of the documentary film “Paper Tigers” will begin at 6:30 tonight at Montana State University-Northern in Hensler Auditorium housed in the campus’s Applied Technology Center.

Curtis Smeby, professor of education, said the 105 minute film follows teachers and students at Lincoln High School over the course of a year in Walla Walla, Washington.

The school uses trauma-based services to tackle the rampant violence, criminal activity, substance abuse and absenteeism that plagues its student body.

Smeby said by teaching students coping skills and resiliency, the school is able to address, that resulting from domestic violence, unstable homes, lack of attention and poverty, and change their lives for the better.

“It sort of takes us from what’s wrong with you, to what’s happened to you,” Smeby said.

That domestic dysfunction, trauma and sense of being unloved, Smeby said, cannot only continue to negatively shape a person’s life, but can be passed down to their children if left untreated.

“We need to look at preventions and interventions for people who are struggling,” Smeby said.

A discussion about the film and the social science surrounding it will follow the screening.

Smeby said he hopes the film will result in a discussion about how and if the type of trauma-based services should be provided in local communities.

The screening of the movie and subsequent discussion is open to the public.