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Montessori Genesis II (MGII) was founded in 1976 by sixteen low-income Black families. The children of these families had had a very successful Montessori pre-school experience at the Early Learning Center in the Mantua section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. These parents wanted their children to continue enjoying a high quality education during their elementary years. But there was no nearby elementary school prepared to follow up on the Montessori education that had been so successful.

The group of sixteen families joined together to take on this challenge. They solicited the help of two Religious of the Assumption nuns who were trained Montessori teachers to instruct their children and started their own school, Montessori Genesis II. Serving as something of a magnet, Montessori Genesis II now draws students not only from the surrounding community, but from throughout the Philadelphia area such as North Philadelphia, Germantown, Greater Northwest Philly and beyond. The quality of the education and personal growth afforded the students at MGII is such that when they leave, they can go out and successfully navigate the waters of all levels of higher education and post-academic life.

Donna Dudick is a filmmaker, wife and mother of three. She attended Temple University ’s graduate program for Acting (Professional Actor's Training Program) in the early 1980’s, after which she earned a J.D. from the California Western Law School in San Diego , and an M. Ed. from Arcadia University in Glenside , PA. Dudick practiced law in the Philadelphia area until 1995. During this time, she maintained her interest in film and theater by exercising her burgeoning skills as a dogmatic armchair critic.

The Mommy Track is the Warrington, PA resident's first film. In 2003, she directed her second feature film, this time shooting parts of it in Bethany, WV, the Poconos, and suburban Philadelphia. THE MIDDLE VOICE is a "noir narrative" about the residents of a fictional, blue-collar town who are threatened with a doctor walk-out in the midst of a looming health care crisis.

Dudick shot and edited 2 short films in 2005: "The Trick," and "Virgilio," a short film about the American haiku poet, NickVirgilio. She also directs the Algonquin Independent Film Festival of Bucks County.

Dolores Luis Gmitter, Tondra L. Loder, Amy Roy, Pauline Stakelon all participated in the fall 2002 Documentary Production Workshop at Scribe Video Center. They were inspired by Toni Morrison's poem, The Big Box, a lyrical allegory of what happens when Patty, a good, but rambunctious student's freedoms are slowly taken away from her for "the greater good."

Nadine Patterson runs the awarding-winning film company, Harmony Image Productions. Her productions focus on African-American culture and the city of Philadelphia. Patterson is an award-winning independent producer of works such as I Used to Teach English, Anna Russell Jones: Praisesong for a Pioneering Spirit; Moving with the Dreaming; Todo El Mundo Dance!; Shizue; and LoqueeshaAshleyFranklinJosieBrown, which was part of the second season of WYBE TV35's Philadelphia Stories. She has received funding for her projects from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, WYBE, the National Black Programming Consortium, the Philadelphia Foundation and the Leeway Foundation. She has taught courses in video production at educational institutions including Scribe Video Center, Arcadia University, Temple University and Drexel University. Her latest work is Cosmic Trane, an experimental video in three parts that uses music, movement, visual art, and documentary footage to convey some of the issues explored in John Coltrane's music.