GABRIELLE
I am crying rn bc my bat mitzvah will be so lame compared 2 everyone’s
My parents don’t have that much $$
CECILY
Gabs, stop
GABRIELLE
No 4 real
GABRIELLE
& it’s the last one so everyone will be so over them by then
I hate my December bday & being the youngest
PRIANKA
Wait hold on
Still catching up
Stop texting LOL
Ok caught up
Omg her bat mitz will be fanciest one yet
I mean she’s only turning 13
What’s gonna happen with her sweet 16 & HS graduation or her wedding or whatevssssss
PRIANKA
This is nuts
CECILY
Ya
I agree
I mean it’s a big moment but still
Gabs, is she inviting the whole grade
GABRIELLE
IDK
Prob no
Annie Goldfarb is the only one who has done that
Not that there have been so many yet LOL
CECILY
True
VICTORIA
Omg I really want 2 be invited
CECILY
Same
PRIANKA
Guys don’t freak out
It’s ok
Gabrielle, Miriam
GABRIELLE
Mir?
MIRIAM
Yeah?
GABRIELLE
Do u know if everyone is going 2 be invited to Hannah F’s bat mitz?
MIRIAM
Ummmm
What do u mean everyone
GABRIELLE
Whole grade
Specifically Pri, Cece, Vic
MIRIAM
Ummm
I doubt whole grade
She has a huge family
And tons of friends from school and camp and Hebrew school and dance team
GABRIELLE
Oh hmm
MIRIAM
IDK about Cece & Vic
She thinks Pri is hilarious btw so pos
GABRIELLE
Ok
MIRIAM
R u stressing
GABRIELLE
Kinda yeah
They’re all talking about it
MIRIAM
Oh IDK
Sorry
Just ask her
GABRIELLE
I feel awk
MIRIAM
IKWYM
4 mine I def can’t invite whole grade
GABRIELLE
Same
MIRIAM
At least we have a while
GABRIELLE
Yeah def
Helllloooooooo, Nickie & Kimmie!!!! (Remember when I used to call you that?!)
Sending hugs from beautiful Yorkville. I miss you guys!!! Are you doing an International Women’s Day celebration at your school? My friend is trying to start one here. So great, right? How cute are the puppies on this postcard? I found it at the grocery store.
LOVE YOU! Victoria
TO:
Nic and Kim
c/o Landenor Family
ADDRESS:
54 Clearview Circle
Philadelphia, PA 19107
Mara, Cecily
MARA
I am sooooo excited about this IWD idea
Go you for thinking of it!!!
CECILY
Yeah so cool right?
Thank you!
MARA
I was thinking we could maybe bring in speakers, too
Like Yorkville mayor
She’s friends with my mom
CECILY
Oh Mayor Baac
MARA
Yeah
They grew up together & still do yoga together once a week lol
CECILY
That’s cool
I’m in
Just need approval from Mr. A
MARA
K please lmk
CECILY
Obv
From: Mr. Akiyama
To: Cecily Anderson
Subject: RE: International Women’s Day
Dear Cecily,
What a fabulous idea! I discussed it with Mr. C and the administration and we all think it’s great. Please stop by my office after school to discuss particulars. We only have a few days to get this going but we want to make it happen.
See you later,
Mr. A
***sent from my handheld device, please excuse any typos
IWD!
CECILY
Guys we r making this happen
I just met with Mr. A & he said yes
He loves bake sale fundraiser idea
PRIANKA
Wooooooo
My mom will bake
VICTORIA
Actually my dad has this new cookie recipe
PRIANKA
Woo
VICTORIA
This is so awesome
GABRIELLE
What do we need to do
CECILY
Bring in posters + pictures of important women in ur life
& throughout history
& we’re gonna hang them all over school
PRIANKA
Wow
CECILY
Mayor Baac is coming 2 speak
PRIANKA
That is so cool
CECILY
& we r going to have an assembly with an open mic & people can come up 2 talk about women role models
PRIANKA
I am in love with this
Go, CECE
I’d say u’ll be 1st women pres but I don’t want to bc we better have a woman pres before u r old enough
VICTORIA
Um duh
CECILY
Thx, guys
I am so happy we could make this happen in only a few days
PRIANKA
CECE CAN RULE THE WORLD
CECILY
Lol ok stop
PRIANKA
4 real tho
So proud of u
GABRIELLE
Same same same
VICTORIA
U r amazing, Cece
CECILY
Guys sooooo much pressure when u say this stuff
Stopppp
Love u guys
Ack!! Used emojis by accident!
Sage, Prianka
SAGE
Omg why didn’t we realize April was poetry month
PRIANKA
Ummm
I think I knew that
Maybe
SAGE
Oh ok
PRIANKA
Do they do a thing @ school 4 it
SAGE
IDK
SAGE
Let’s ask Ms. Marburn 2morrow since she’s the head of the whole English dept
PRIANKA
Sounds good
Ooooh end of the year poetry jam competition
SAGE
U r so competitive
PRIANKA
Not really
SAGE
Ok
PRIANKA
But end of yr poetry jam could be so fun
SAGE
Yeah true
SAGE
Like house setup
PRIANKA
LOL kids drinking coffee
SAGE
No soda & fruit punch but YKWIM
PRIANKA
Yeah def hahaha
Cece has totally inspired me to just start stuff
Did I tell u she started this International Women’s Day thing @ school
It’s happening fri
SAGE
OMG NO but wowwwwww
PRIANKA
She just makes things happen ya know???
PRIANKA
Let’s do this
SAGE
K see u tomorrow
Miriam, Gabrielle
MIRIAM
&n
bsp; Ok I spoke to Hannah
She’s not inviting whole grade
& of ur friends she’s only inviting u & Pri
YKWIM
GABRIELLE
Yeah
What should I do
Should I tell my friends ahead of time
MIRIAM
No
Wait until invites go out
GABRIELLE
I feel so bad
MIRIAM
I do 2 but it’s how it is
She really doesn’t know Cece & Vic
She’s not in any classes with them
GABRIELLE
Well Cece is in all honors classes
MIRIAM
So she’ll def be invited to Hannah P’s then
GABRIELLE
Haha true
They’re both brainiacs
MIRIAM
LOL
K gotta finish hw
GABRIELLE
Bye
Dear Cecily,
Would you like to give some opening remarks at IWD? Please stop by my office so we can discuss.
Mr. A
IWD! Woo!
VICTORIA
Did u see all the pictures already up
I have study hall in the comp lab & Mr. Surrey let us print pictures
VICTORIA
He never lets us do that
CECILY
Whoa that is so cool
I saw a lot already up
I hope more people hang stuff
Mr. A said we can leave them up all next week
VICTORIA
I love this
CECILY
& Mr. A said I can give opening remarks
PRIANKA
Wowwwieeeeeeeeee
CECILY
Ya
CECILY
Gtg work on that
Bye
PRIANKA
Mwaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhh
Gabrielle, Cecily
GABRIELLE
Cece?
CECILY
Ya
GABRIELLE
Just wanted to thank u for coming over
GABRIELLE
I know you’re so busy with IWD & it was late but you helped me sooooooo much with that math hw
TBH you teach better than our actual teachers LOL
CECILY
IDK about that but you’re welcome!!
GABRIELLE
Love you, Cece
CECILY
Mwah!!!!!!
Draft—Opening remarks for International
Women’s Day
Cecily Anderson
Hi, everyone! Welcome, students, faculty, and community members, to Yorkville Middle School’s first-ever International Women’s Day celebration. I am so excited that we are all here.
My name is Cecily Anderson. International Women’s Day sort of snuck up on me this year, so we had to throw this celebration together on short notice. I’m so grateful to Mr. Akiyama and Mr. Carransey for helping pull this off.
Our hallways are covered with photos of inspiring women and it looks incredible. We are also so fortunate to have Yorkville’s amazing mayor, Esme Baac, with us.
I’ll keep my remarks short so we can start the program. I just wanted to say that women are out there in this world every single day doing important, meaningful things and very often they go unnoticed. We need to make sure we’re celebrating women and encouraging girls to be all they can be and change the world. We can do this.
I kept hearing things in the hallway that really got me angry and fired up. In a way, I’m glad, though, because it inspired this celebration of women!
After Mayor Baac speaks, we’ll have an open mic opportunity for students to come up and speak about women heroes and role models. Please keep it brief but passionate.
Thanks everyone! Happy International Women’s Day!
Hiiiiiiii
ELOISE
Guess what
MIRIAM
ELOISE
U know how my aunt is a producer @ the today show
HANNAH F
Haha yessssss
U have told us a billion times LOL
ELOISE
K stop
ELOISE
Anyway i told her about international women’s day celebration @ school
ELOISE
And how it all came together super quickly
And how all the admin people were into the idea
& she’s coming to produce a spot on it for the show!
MIRIAM
OMG
R we all gonna be on TV
ELOISE
Maybeee!!!!!!!
GABRIELLE
Did u tell Cece
She started this whole thing and it was all her idea and she is so so into it
ELOISE
Oh really
ELOISE
I didn’t know that
Can u tell her
I don’t really know her
GABRIELLE
Let’s tell her in person tomorrow morning
Too confusing 2 text
ELOISE
HANNAH P
That is so so so so cool, El!
ELOISE
I’m so excited
HANNAH P
U should be
I can tell Cecily, too
HANNAH P
We have all classes together this year
MIRIAM
Love all of this
GABRIELLE
Me too
Dear Journal,
It’s 3 a.m. and I can’t fall asleep. I really need to, though. Tomorrow is our big International Women’s Day event and it was all my idea and I’m making opening remarks and I want to be well rested. But I can’t sleep! Wahhhhh!!! I am just so excited that they listened to me and took my idea and it’s really happening. I don’t know what else to say really.
I also really want to be invited to Hannah F’s bat mitzvah. It’s going to be so amazing. I heard she’s giving out hoodies. Like real nice ones with our names on them. I don’t understand how her parents have so much money. Mine are just regular people and we’re fine but not rich. Sometimes it seems like everyone else is so rich. And the people at school who aren’t just don’t say anything. It’s like we all just pretend everyone’s family can afford to do all this big stuff. We should discuss it more. I am so nervous I won’t be invited and everyone else will. I am trying to stay calm about it but I really want to go. I keep picturing how fancy it will be.
Okay, I am going to try and go to bed again.
Love, Cecily
Dearest Cecily,
I am so proud of you and all you have accomplished with International Women’s Day. I want you to know that I adore you just the way you are and think you’re extraordinary. You follow your passions and you work hard and you’re kind. I am so grateful that I get to be your mother.
I love you, Mom
Mara, Cecily
MARA
OMG
Do u know about our moms
CECILY
What?
Walking out the door 2 the bus rn
R u already there
MARA
Yeah early as usual LOL
CECILY
K I can walk & text
MARA
Be careful
CECILY
K but what about our moms
MARA
Ummm this is so awk & embarrassing
CECILY
Tell me rn
I am nervous
MARA
They knew about us
CECILY
WDYM
MARA
Like how we kinda liked each other but how we are just friends now
CECILY
OMG
They did
CECILY
How???
MARA
No idea
Mom intuition I guess
CECILY
Did u tell ur mom
MARA
Nooooooo
I’d never discuss personal stuff w/ her
CECILY
I didn’t, either
My mom did leave me a super gushy note today
MARA
??
CECILY
Like how she’s so proud of me & how I should always stay true to myself
MARA
Omg
CECILY
I KNOW
Ewwww I don’t like moms knowing about love stuff
MARA
This is love stuff?????
CECILY
YKWIM
MARA
I know . . . crushes etc
CECILY
Right
MARA
But we r just friends now
CECILY
Duh I know
MARA
Ok ha
CECILY
Hahahahahahahahahah
MARA
I see u walking here
CECILY
LOL k bye
Cece, I lost my voice & I can’t talk at all. I don’t know what happened! I feel fine, though. Anyway, Eloise’s aunt works for the Today show & they’re coming to do a piece on IWD!!! She told me last night. She’s going to tell u in person today but I wanted to tell u first. OMG RIGHT?
Xoxoxoxoxxoxo love, Gabs
For real? This is so amazing. She cleared it with Mr. A & Mr. C and everyone?
I think so!
Wowwwwwwwwwwww I am sooooooo excited but also sooooo nervous now, too.
Me too! What if we become famous?
We’ll be amazing! We already are!
AHHHHHH!!!!!!
Dear Students & Parents:
A film crew from the Today show will be at Yorkville Middle School recording the International Women’s Day events tomorrow. Please e-sign below and then email back the form if you would like to allow your child to appear on television.
Thank you,
Yorkville Middle School Administration
I, __________________________, allow my child, ____________________, to appear on the Today show in connection with Yorkville Middle School’s International Women’s Day event.
Signed,
___________________________________________
(Parent/guardian signature)
Hi, guys—Do you guys realize how few pages we have left in shared notebook?!? Like, fewer than 10. OMG. So . . .hiiiii!!!! So proud of Cece & just want u guys to know I love you! I may read a poem @ the open mic part. Maybe. Xoxo Pri
Oooh, that’s such a good idea, Pri! I don’t know if I’ll do anything. Luv, VM
I can’t do anything because I lost my voice! Today of all days. How crazy? Wahhhh!!! Smooches, Gabs