i'm sure those of you who made it here today have all heard the news. it's a dark day for devil's kettle, a day we can never, ever forget. a single, stifled sob rises from the class. needy glances around the room and sees students fighting back tears. a huge jock weeps openly, tears spattering his swimsuit- model decorated notebook. jennifer smirks, barely able to contain her laughter.
the administration here has decided that today will be a unstructured day of support and remembrance. we've lost nine precious students-- including ahmet from india-- several parents, and a teacher, ms. parrish. he fights back tears.
this tragedy is obviously beyond anything we can measure. more than ever, we need to band together and draw strength from each other. mr. wroblewski painstakingly retrieves a tissue from his pocket with his robotic hand and dabs at his face.
we can rise up. we can overcome death.
god, they're feeling so much pain. another scream, this time weaker.
let it all out, kids. he heads for his ford festiva, then pauses as if thinking better of it. something isn't right. he puts his keys back in his pocket and walks toward the woods to investigate.
virgin mother!
before the period ends, i have an announcement.
as you know, this is the one month anniversary of the carousel fire and also the murder of jonas kozelle.
as i was saying, needy and jennifer, i finally have some good news to share with all of you. the members of the rock group soft shoulder have decided to extend a helping hand to our community. a ripple of excitement in the room. a girl seated in the front row is wearing a soft shoulder t-shirt.
as you know, their song "through the trees" has become our unofficial anthem of unity and healing. so, they've decided to release it as a benefit single.
3% of the profits will go to local families who have been affected by loss. the class is happily abuzz-- except needy, who looks appalled.
excuse me?
that's enough. the bell rings. students get up and gather their books for the next period.
can i have everyone's attention please? the students turn to look at him, annoyed by the distraction.
welcome to the turnabout dance. i hope you've all had an opportunity to consume the pecan sandies and cran-grape that were so generously donated by the parents club.
but the real treat is yet to come. it's happening right about now, this treat of which i speak. we have some very special guests tonight. they were kind enough to take a break from their sold-out national tour and play our dance for free.
boys and girls, please welcome. soft shoulder! the heavy stage curtains part to reveal soft shoulder in all their glory. success has treated them well-- they're glowing and wearing designer rock n' roll couture. they look like the young rolling stones. needy drops her cup. juice splatters onto the ground.