Taysia's+Play

"The Plan" By Taysia Holmes Ms. Chung, 304

SETTING: School Hallway, Empty except for Lia. Lia is by the wall, next to the art room.

CHARACTERS: Lia (Main Character) – Student/Daughter Ms. Friday – Teacher Ms. Graham – Principle/Mother Alex – Friend Aubrey – Friend Student 1

//(Lia is writing, “The principle sucks” on the hallway wall, in spray paint. Ms. Friday sees her.)//

Ms. Friday: //(Shocked)// What are you doing?

Lia: //(Laughing)// Making art.

Ms. Friday: //(Disappointed)// I think you need to go down to the office.

Lia: //(Crossing arms)// I think I don’t.

Ms. Friday: //(Pointing down the hall)// Now!

//(Lia is sitting in the office, waiting to be seen, with her legs and arms crossed. Ms. Graham walks out with a mad face.)//

Ms. Graham: //(Sighs)// In my office. //(Walks back into her office)//

Lia: //(Taking a seat)// Do I have to stay here long? I have to get to class?

Ms. Graham: You’re not going anywhere…why were you vandalizing the school. And of all things why did you write, “The principle sucks”?

Lia: Because you do. I told you that this would be a bad idea. //(Getting upset)// You never listen to me! No one wants to wear these ugly uniforms everyday!

Ms. Graham: Well maybe if students stopped dressing inappropriately, we wouldn’t have uniforms.

Lia: //(Raising her voice)// We can wear whatever we want! Why does it matter to you?

Ms. Graham: //(Standing up)// I’m not going to sit here and argue with you. And I’m not going to let you disrespect me. Go back to class…we’ll talk about this when we get home.

//(The next morning Lia and a bunch of other kids walk into school without their uniforms on. Ms. Graham notices, and approaches them.)//

Ms. Graham: //(With a confused look)// Why aren’t you all in your uniforms?

Lia: //(Walking up to her)// Like I told you yesterday, I am not wearing that uniform.

Alex: Neither am I.

Aubrey: And if you don’t like it, that’s your problem.

Ms. Graham: //(With a loud voice)// Excuse me!

Alex: //(Speaking with hands)// I don’t get why you just can’t take away the uniforms. It would be less drama.

Ms. Graham: I am not going to change a rule because you all don’t like it. It’s going to stay in effect for as long as I want it to.

Aubrey: Well then prepare for drama. //(They all start to walk away. But Ms. Graham pulls Lia to the side.)//

Ms. Graham: What are you trying to do? Start a protest?

Lia: Yup. And the longer you wait, the more students will go against you.

Ms. Graham: I thought we came to an agreement yesterday?

Lia: No, you just asked me to think about it. And I did…but I still don’t agree with you.

Ms. Graham: Okay then. //(They both walk in different directions.)//

//(Later on that day, at lunch, Ms. Graham makes an announcement.)//

Ms. Graham: //(Off stage, over the loud speaker)// Whoever is caught not wearing his or her uniform will be suspended. And he or she will not be able to participate in any activities for the rest of the school year.

Lia: //(Angry)// I can’t believe my mom is doing this. //(Looking at Aubrey and Alex)//

Aubrey: So does this mean that we have to wear the uniforms?

Lia: //(sighs)// I guess so.

Alex: ( //Excitedly)// Maybe we can start a petition and have everybody sign it.

Aubrey: Yeah, and if we get enough people Ms. Graham might consider taking the uniforms away.

Alex: I hope.

Lia: We should make a gigantic poster, and have people sign it.

Aubrey: Yeah and… //(Bell rings)// Let’s just talk about this after school.

Alex/Lia: Okay, bye//. (They all walk in different directions toward class.)//

//(Lia and Aubrey are at Alex’s house designing posters.)//

Lia: Does this look good? //(Showing them the poster)//

Aubrey: //(Laughing)// It looks way better than mine.

Alex: //(Laughing)// At least you guys have something; my poster’s blank.

Aubrey: You should draw a uniform with an X over it. That would be so cool.

Lia: It would.

Alex: I can’t wait until people start signing these petitions.

Lia: Neither can I. //(Frustrated)// Just because a couple of students want to walk around exposing their bodies, the whole school has to pay the consequence.

Aubrey: That really isn’t fair.

Lia: That’s why I really hope this works. But I got to go.

//(Lia just got home and her mom is waiting to talk to her.)//

Ms. Graham: You ready to talk.

Lia: //(Sitting down)// Not really, but whatever.

Ms. Graham: //(Sternly)// I don’t appreciate the way you’ve been acting these past days. It’s completely unacceptable. The school has been under a lot of pressure lately. So I thought having uniforms would help keep the school under control. And it doesn’t help for you to be vandalizing the school.

Lia: //(Frustrated)// I did it for a reason. You never listen to me, ma. You act like you’re always too busy to spend time with me, or even talk to me. So to make you listen I vandalized the school wall.

Ms. Graham: //(Realizing her daughters point of view)// I’m sorry that you felt that way. I didn’t really realize. But if you promise not to do that again, I promise to always make time for you. Okay?

Lia: Ya, I guess. I’m sorry for hurting your feelings. But I still want to fight for the right to wear what I want.

Ms. Graham: I will let you do that, but you have to do it in a respect manner.

Lia: My friends and I were thinking about having people sign a petition.

Ms. Graham: But you have to get at least half of the school’s signatures and then I will listen.

Lia: //(Determined)// Okay, I will. //(They hug)//

//(The next morning Lia, Aubrey, and Alex walk around with the posters. They all have smiles on their faces because people are signing the petitions.)//

Alex: Sign here if you want to get rid of the uniforms!

Lia: //(Down the hall)// Sign here if you don’t like the uniforms!

Aubrey: //(Walking up to Lia)// I can’t believe this is actually working. I got 66 so far. How many do you have?

Lia: I don’t know, but it looks like a lot. //(Lia starts counting)//

Student 1: //(Walking up to Aubrey)// What is this for?

Aubrey: It’s a petition because we’re trying to get rid of the uniforms.

Student 1: You got my signature. //(Signs the poster)//

Lia: I just know this is going to work. //(Lia and Aubrey walk towards Alex)//

Alex: Hey, how is the signing going?

Lia: Good. Aubrey has 66 and I have 67. How about you?

Alex: 64.

Aubrey: Awesome. Do you know how many we need to change the rule?

Lia: Yeah, my mom said we need at least 50% of the school, which would be 500 signatures.

Alex: I think if we keep doing this all day until Friday we will have enough.

Lia: I hope.

//(It’s Friday and schools almost over. They are all running around yelling sign here, but it seems like everybody has already signed.)//

Aubrey: School is almost over, and we only have 479. And we need 500.

Alex: This seems impossible!

Lia: //(Starts to smile)// I know exactly what we can do.

Aubrey: What?

Lia: We can all go to different parts of the school, instead of us all in one spot. Then maybe we will get enough.

Alex: Okay //(They all run away.)//

//(The school day is over and Lia, Aubrey, and Alex are sitting by the lockers counting the rest of the signatures.)//

Lia: I got 20!

Aubrey: I got 19!

Alex: 21!

Aubrey: Yes! We got enough.

Lia: //(Getting up)// Now let’s go talk to my mother.

//(They all walk to the office, and knock on Ms. Graham’s door.)//

Ms. Graham: Come in.

Lia: We would like to talk to you about the uniform rule.

Ms. Graham: //(Hesitant)// Okay.

Lia: You know how you said that we couldn’t protest by not wearing our uniforms? And when we talked you said that you will think about it if we get at least half of the schools signatures.

Aubrey: And we have more than half.

Lia: So you have to change the rule now.

Ms. Graham: Not exactly, I still have to bring this up with the school board. Just leave those posters here, and I will talk to you girls about this next week. //(They all leave.)//

//(Three days later Aubrey, Alex, and Lia are called to Ms. Graham's Office. While walking they are crossing their fingers hoping that this is good news.)//

Lia: I am so nervous. //(Walking up to Ms. Graham's door)//

Aubrey: Me too. //(Knocks on Ms. Graham's door)//

Ms. Graham: Come in. //(They all walk in)// Take a seat girls. //(They all look nervous)// Before I start I just want to say that I am proud of the way you girls went about this problem. So I had a meeting with the school board yesterday. And they approved your request to take away the uniforms. They approved it because they also liked the way you girls went about this problem. But with one exception.... If anyone is caught wearing inappropriate clothing, they will be suspended until they know how to dress appropriately.

Lia: //(Jumps up)// Thanks so much. I promise I will follow the rules.

Aubrey: //(In a loud, excited voice)// Yeah, I will follow the rules too. Thanks Ms. Graham.

Alex: Thanks.

//(For the rest of the school year, the girls no longer had to wear the school uniforms. Ms. Graham and the girls never got in any more arguments. Lia and Ms. Grahams relationship has been getting better.)//