Justine McKeen, Walk the Talk (5 page)

Chapter Twelve

It rained on the first day of the walking school bus.

But it didn't matter. Justine McKeen had ten giant umbrellas. Each umbrella had
Ice-Cream Heaven
written on it. Mr. Tait had donated all the umbrellas so he could advertise.

Mrs. Martin was at the front of the walking school bus. She felt bad for yelling at Justine. She had learned that Adam had been using lip balm on the cat for a long time. She didn't feel good about all the times she had used the lip balm, but she felt good about apologizing to Justine.

Mr. Free was at the back of the walking school bus. He had decided it would be a good idea to have a gold recycling bin after all. That way his neighbors who knew he cared about his lawn would also know he cared about the environment.

The walking school bus was a lot of fun. Justine was somewhere in the middle. She had eight other kids to talk with and splash through puddles with.

It was the first walking school bus at their school. A lot of drivers honked to say hello as they passed. Everyone thought it was great that kids cared about the environment enough to ask for a walking school bus.

Justine thought the walking school bus was a success.

It was even better when they arrived at the school. After all the walking school bus passengers shook off their umbrellas, the janitor walked up to them.

“Hello, Mr. Barnes,” Justine said. “We will do our best not to make a mess with the wet umbrellas.”

“That's okay, Justine,” Mr. Barnes said. “I just came to say thank you. I think the idea you gave me yesterday to stop the girls from putting lipstick on the bathroom mirrors is going to work. How did you think of it?”

“I saw what happened with a little boy, a cat named Snuggles and a tube of lip balm,” Justine said. “Maybe someday I will tell you about it.”

“Well, your idea to stop the lipstick on the mirrors is so good, I'll be very surprised if I ever have to clean off any more smooch marks.”

“I hope you're right,” Justine said. “I want to make up for the extra work you had to do when the roof garden wrecked the roof.”

“Don't worry,” Mr. Barnes said. “I've decided it's important to be green, and a person needs to keep trying out different ideas.” He winked at Justine. “I hope your class enjoys the video.”

Chapter Thirteen

Justine's teacher, Mrs. Howie, rolled out the class television. She put a
DVD
in the player.

“Students,” Mrs. Howie said. “Our principal has asked that every class watch this
DVD
. There has been a problem with girls putting lipstick marks on the bathroom mirrors. This
DVD
has a message from our principal and the janitor.”

Mrs. Howie turned off the lights and pressed
Play
.

On the screen, Ms. Booth was holding a video camera and pointing it at a mirror in one of the girls' bathrooms. Her reflection appeared in the mirror.

She zoomed in on the smooch marks on the mirror. “This has become a problem because it is a lot of work for our janitor, Mr. Barnes. I thought I would show you how difficult it is for him to clean the mirror.”

Ms. Booth turned the video camera toward Mr. Barnes. He wore rubber gloves. He was holding a large sponge. He waved at the camera. Then he spoke.

“I know it is fun for girls to kiss the mirrors,” Mr. Barnes said. “But these marks are not fun to clean. The first thing I do is get this sponge wet. I like to recycle water instead of wasting it from the tap.”

The video camera followed him as he walked to a toilet. He pushed the sponge into the toilet water. When he lifted the sponge out, toilet water dripped from the sponge.

“Next,” Mr. Barnes said, “I use this sponge to clean the mirror.”

With the sponge full of toilet water, he walked to the mirror. He washed the mirror with the sponge. Toilet water dripped down the mirror. When the lipstick marks were finally gone, he squeezed the sponge out over the sink. Then he wiped the mirror again with the sponge to get the last of the toilet water off.

“Every day after school, I have to clean the mirrors with toilet water,” Mr. Barnes said. “So now you know how much work it is for me. And you can help me by not kissing the mirrors anymore. Thank you.”

The video ended.

Mrs. Howie turned the lights on and the television off.

“Girls,” she said, “do you have any questions about the message from our janitor?”

Three girls put their hands up.

“Yes,” Mrs. Howie said to the first girl.

Sydney Martin's eyes bulged. “Can I go to the bathroom? I have to brush my teeth! Right now!”

Ava had her hand over her mouth and said, “Me too! Please! Right now! I can't believe he uses toilet water to clean the mirror!”

Then the third girl, Mya, said, “Please! Right now! I feel sick.”

Justine tried not to giggle. She knew they had kissed the mirror.

She also knew they would never do it again.

Notes for Students and Teachers

Chapter One

Many schools have No Idling signs outside them. Not only does this help the environment, but it prevents kids from breathing unhealthy air. If you think this is a problem at your school, you could ask your teacher about trying to put up No Idling signs. But ask nice!

Chapter Four

Roof gardens are a great idea, and they are becoming more and more popular. Often roofs that are black take more energy to cool, so putting plants on the roof saves energy. Plants convert carbon dioxide into oxygen, so the more plants there are, the better. If you think it's possible to start a roof garden at your school, just make sure you do it with your teachers and not the way Justine did.

Chapter Six

If you have a lot of students who live close enough to your school to be able to walk, it would be a great project to start a walking school bus. As you saw with Justine, it takes planning, parent volunteers and permission slips. You can also start a bicycle train, and it's just as much fun. Here's a website with all you need to get started:
www.walkingschoolbus.org
.

Chapter Ten

It's a little thing, but did you notice that Justine decided she was going to pick up litter while the dog kept her company in the park. Keep your eyes open for any pieces of litter you see. If every student in your school picked up one piece of litter a day, that would make a huge difference.

Chapter Twelve

Have a fun discussion with your teacher about when it might be appropriate for students to try to influence grown-ups by marching in a public place with signs.

Chapter Thirteen

Here's a rule to always follow: Never smooch mirrors at school. You never know if the janitor uses toilet water to clean them off.

 

Sigmund Brouwer is the bestselling author of many books for children and young adults. Sigmund loves visiting schools and talking with youth of all ages about reading and writing.
Justine McKeen,
Walk the Talk
is the second title in his new series about Justine and her efforts to create a greener community. He also has a new book for teachers and parents called
Rock & Roll Literacy
. Sigmund lives in Red Deer, Alberta, and Nashville, Tennessee.