Unrest on the Second Floor

The students of Ms. Gado’s third period 20th Century Literature class were shocked and confused when they found her door barricaded with stacks of books yesterday morning. As they tried to peek through the window an envelope was slid under the door, with instructions to present it to Julie Stevenson. The letter read as follows:

We the people of room 202, in order to form a more perfect class, declare independence from Hanover High School. No longer will we be forced to study anything other than English, use any sort of technology invented after 2002, or suffer the injustice of an inadequate temperature control system.

Signed [student signatures redacted], Most Exalted and Magnificent Supreme Leader Anna Gado

The standoff in the far-eastern second floor has continued till today, with neither side backing down. HHS refuses to recognize room 202’s independence, and Supreme Leader Gado has been unwilling to negotiate. HHS proposed plans for an autonomous Gadonian state incorporated into HHS, but the Gadonians have stated that they will never recognize any authority above Ms. Gado.

An anonymous rebel reported through the door that their reason for joining the revolution was that “too many people watch the movie before reading the book, and Ms. Gado said she would put a stop to that. “I will never surrender to Hanover,” another rebel said, “I would rather be stuck in here forever than hear someone say that they read the Sparknotes instead of their assigned reading!”

The thirteen citizens of the newly independent classroom seem to be doing well: they have enough food and water to last them another two weeks, and are negotiating a trade deal with Lebanon High School to keep them supplied for the future. Two citizens are always stationed by the door with dictionaries in hand, ready to clobber any would-be invaders. The population spends their time reading and participating in graded discussions; they just finished Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë, and will imminently be starting their assault on The Book of Margery Kemp.

The future is uncertain for the fledgling nation of Room 202, but tensions will certainly remain until Supreme Leader Gado partakes in peace talks. This conflict could continue indefinitely, but library director Jessica Eakin predicts that once the Gadonians run out of books they will surrender to regain access to the library.