Each Tiny Spark

The day after the school board meeting, Clarissa speaks before Mr. Richt calls on her, so Lacey and another student shush her. Lacey compares the meeting to a courtroom drama.

Gus and Emilia then show their video. Mr. Jackson likes redistricting—his granddaughters won’t have to walk as far. Mr. Jackson doesn’t think his granddaughters are dangerous, and Agustín thinks the town would be better if everyone worked together and embraced the diverse community. Amanda, Agustín’s sister, says Georgia immigrants have $19.2 billion in income––they’re not bad for the economy, but she doesn’t want to transfer and start over: She thinks kids should get a choice. Mrs. Loretta is excited for the change.

Mr. Richt posts Gus and Emilia’s video to the Merryville Middle YouTube, and Lacey wants to show it to her mom, who works at the local news station. Clarissa says they were only supposed to watch and take notes. Mr. Richt says it’s fine that they wanted to participate in the discussion through a video.

After lunch, Emilia tells Clarissa they don’t have to fight. Emilia remembers the day in first grade when Clarissa got pulled out of class to hear about her dad. The same thing could have happened to Emilia.