Germinato grips the podium with both hands. He scowls when his eyes land on the teachers who are wearing leggings.
Because the microphone is on, we all hear him mutter, “Miss Aubin! How could you?”
Every kid in the gym turns to see Miss Aubin walking in. Not only is she wearing leggings, but she is also carrying a cardboard sign with a photo of Marie Gérin-Lajoie on it and a dialogue balloon over her head that reads Down with the dress code!
Maude jumps up from her spot on the floor and shouts, “Down with the dress code!” Then, as quickly as kindling catching fire, everyone joins in. Soon the whole gym is chanting, “Down with the dress code! Down with the dress code!”
“Silence! Silence now!” Germinato sputters into the microphone. But the chanting continues.
Germinato taps furiously on the microphone, but that does not work either.
Now Ivan pops up from his spot.
“How come you’re not wearing leggings?” someone asks him.
“Because I’m against this revolt!” he shouts back.
Ivan picks his way through the crowd to join Germinato at the microphone. “Thank you, Ivan,” we hear Germinato say. “If you ever need a letter of recommendation, just ask.”
Having Ivan at his side reinvigorates Germinato. “Silence! Silence this instant!” he booms into the microphone. Finally, the crowd quiets down.
“I have not failed to notice,” Germinato says, “that many of you are wearing leggings, despite the fact that the Lajoie High School dress code prohibits leggings. I am your principal, and I have the right to punish you. All of you”—Germinato looks around the gym, his eyes landing on the students, the teachers and finally on Rowena—“who are in violation of the Lajoie High School dress code…”
I hear whispering behind me, then Daisy saying, “Do it now!”
I’m surprised that for once Daisy is giving Rowena orders. When Rowena stands, her hands are trembling. She is holding a stack of papers. It must be the petition. If she presents the petition to Germinato now, there’s no way he can hide it at the back of his filing cabinet.
Rowena walks to the podium, holding the petition to her chest like a shield.
“Go, Rowena!” Rory calls out.
“You rock, Rowena!” Phil adds.
Again that sets the others off, and now there is a chorus of “Rowena!”
Rowena pumps one fist in the air.
“What are you doing, Rowena?” Germinato asks as she approaches.
Rowena steps closer to the microphone, so we all hear her answer. “Da—” She stops herself. “Mr. Germinato, I hereby present you with a petition signed by 549 students at this school. It reads, We, the undersigned…”
I don’t know who is first to stand up when she has finished reading it to him. Maybe it’s Maude, maybe Phil, but now every student is clamoring to his or her feet. And they are all shouting, “Down with the dress code!”
“Fine!” Germinato shouts into the microphone. “I said, fine!”
Rowena spins around, her face inches from her dad’s. “What do you mean by fine?” she asks. Am I the only one who sees the resemblance between the two of them?
Germinato speaks into the microphone. “By fine, I mean I will consider your objections to the dress code. And I have decided not to impose a punishment on any of you—at least, not today.” He smiles as if everything is settled.
When I look over at the benches where the staff is sitting, I realize Miss Aubin is watching me. Is she trying to send me a message?
I shrug my shoulders and raise my palms. It’s my way of asking, What’s the message?
Miss Aubin looks at me—hard.
I know what that means.
She is not going to tell me what to do.
I have to figure things out for myself. It is up to me—and the other students—to affect change. The way Marie Gérin-Lajoie did.
I bring a chair from the side of the room and stand up on it so everyone will see me. I’m not even shaking. I feel like a tree planted firmly in the earth.
“Hey, that’s Eric!” someone calls out. “He’s the brains behind the Leggings Revolt!”
“Mr. Germinato,” I yell, “your offer is not good enough. We don’t want you to consider our objections to the dress code. We want the leggings rule dropped now. And we want your assurance now that the dress code will be revised with our input.” I turn to look at Daisy. “And we want Daisy Fung’s suspension wiped from her record now.”
Germinato throws his hands up into the air. “Fine!” he says.
And with that, the whole gym erupts into cheering and clapping. The walls vibrate from the noise.