A Jewish Journey of Identity and Courage

with Mr. Miller, the school principal. He’s friendly and smiles a lot, but the kids don’t really take him seriously. No one gets excited when he strolls through the halls in his suit, which is always a size or two too small. I didn’t understand how meeting with him would help with something that didn’t seem related to school. Marcus’s reels came from his personal account, so why involve Mr. Miller? What could he possibly do that others couldn’t? But my parents insisted this was the right course of action, so I went along with it. The meeting was during first period, which meant I missed science class. I knew Chen would help me catch up—this was crucial because good grades meant staying on the basketball team. When the secretary let us into Mr. Miller’s office, I was shocked to see Mrs. Martha Walker sitting next to him. She’s the toughest history teacher at school, and when I say tough, I mean it in the most formidable way. Disruptions in her class could land you a week of detention, and there’s a legend that someone once got suspended for sneezing during her lecture. There were whispers that she might take over for Mr. Miller when he retired, and I silently prayed that this meeting wasn’t about that. If Chen found out she was in charge, he might just want to escape to South Korea. My heart was racing, and I felt sure everyone could hear it pounding. Mr. Miller shook my parents’ hands while Mrs. Walker stood tall in the corner, arms crossed and giving us her signature glare. We took our seats across from Mr. Miller, who seemed to lose his smile as he spoke. “Mr. and Mrs. Levitt, thank you for coming. I was shocked by what Mr. Levitt told me.” His expression turned serious. “With your permission, I asked Mrs. Walker to join us for this meeting. Mrs. Walker, if you would.”

39