WELCOME TO UMS

Okay, in my neighborhood, my school is known as Fort Union. That’s because of the crazy-strict military base rules there.

No kids get inside until 7:50 a.m., sharp.

No kids get inside without a student ID.

No kids get inside without opening their backpacks for the security guards.

And that’s just the front door. I’m sure it’d take you less time to get through the airport’s high-tech security with explosives tied to your calves. It’s crazy, man. This is what I go through, every stinkin’ day.

When I get past security, I find that my homeroom doesn’t even have real windows. It’s just metal screens where someone broke out the glass over the summer.

Also, it’s kind of crowded in here. “Overcrowded” would be an understatement. For real.

After attendance, my homeroom teacher, Ms. Green, takes us around the school and shows us where everything is.

Downstairs on the first floor, the library’s about the size of a closet. There’s one rolling computer cart with two computers for the whole school. Also some wrinkly old posters of President Obama, Dr. King, and Rosa Parks on the wall. They just look sad and tired, which I don’t think is supposed to be the idea. I may come in really late one night as Steel and hang up a few Malcolm X, Marcus Garvey, and Sojourner Truth posters. Yeah, like that.

Ms. Green shows us the cafeteria next. Then I ask her where the gym is, but she just shrugs.

“They’ve got a gym at Union High,” she says. “Here at the middle school, we just sectioned off a part of the parking lot. Sometimes we take students to the park down the street.”