The
Schola I The small Texas school that I attended
carried out a tradition every year during the
eighth grade graduation: a beautiful gold and
green jacket was awarded to the class
valedictorian. the student who had main-
tained the highest grades for eight years
I was fourteen and in the eighth grade
I had been a straight A student since the
first grade, and the last year I had looked
forward to owning the jacket. My father
was a farm laborer who couldn't earn
enough money to feed eight children, so
when I was six I was given to my grandpar-
ents to raise. We couldn't participate in
sports at school because there were regis
tration fees, uniform costs, and trips out
of town; so there would never be a sports
school jacket for us. This one, the scholar-
ship jacket, was our only chance
One day in May, on the way from
my history class to the gym, I r
bered my P E "shorts were still in the
classroom. I had to walk back and get
them. I was almost back at the door when
I heard angry voices and arguing in my
classroom, I recognized the voices: Mr
