School

For a list of schools in the series, click here.

School is the first story in the Regents Walk universe. We follow Channing on her first day at Widow's Perch Elementary and see how many of the kids first met each other, and how kids adapt to the big adventure of going to school.

Chronological Place in Series
It takes place two months before Big Blue, the first comic, on the very first day of classes, in September, 1987.

Class Kids
The story takes place during the same school year as Big Blue; view that article for the full list.

Synopsis
Channing's mom takes her to school, and reminds her of her class room number and bus number; she forgets both. Zeke, a fifth grader in safety patrol, takes her, his brother Arlo, and Tom to Mrs. Hambridge's class. On her first day, she is glad to sit by her kindergarten friend Gladys, but spends much of the day observing every little thing most of the other kids do, and decides that they are all poorly behaved and can't ever be her friends. Bad deeds include Tempest taking too long in the bathroom and using all the paper towels (Channing has no proof of this), Tom taking Edgar's food at lunch, Cody tricking Edgar on the playground into burying a dollar that she digs up, and other instances of bullying or perceived selfishness that is a contrast to what she is used to at home.

She complains to Mrs. Hambridge, but is confused when she doesn't seem to act upon her grievances. At dinner that night, after being picked up from the bus depot where she finds a friend in Savanna, the whole family is in attendance. It is learned that her two older siblings, both teenagers, share similar traits in that they are very judgmental and rather unforgiving of others, to the point of scheming revenge methods right in front of their parents. Hoping to keep Channing from turning out the same way, her parents and grandparents encourage her to be a little more open minded, her grandfather bringing up the time his family spent in an internment camp.

The next day at school, a sub is teaching class and lets the kids sit wherever they want. Channing and Gladys end up forming a group of "misfits," which also include Margaret and Tanya. Channing remains a little judgmental of others, but is more forgiving and realizes that all of the little things others do or say don't bother her that much. Later on, at the Heritage Day parade, she reflects upon how making friends isn't as difficult as she had thought, even though she does still keep an eye on how rude everyone else can be.