Matthew Holm: Sunny Makes a Splash

Sunny has a political awakening after watching the news coverage of the infamous Love Canal environmental disaster. She is especially disturbed that poisonous chemicals were seeping into people's basements "That's where kids always hang out!" (It's where she and her friends hang out.) She and her friend Dev decide they want to start an after-school debate club to debate political issues. At first, they can't find a teacher to sponsor their club because they are at a big football school. Finally, their quirky English teacher, Mr. C, sponsors the club and they start debating. Eventually, these two public school kids go on to win second in the state championship, debating Main Line private school kids. Along the way, she learns how to debate both sides of the issue and most importantly how to speak up. Incidentally, what they end up debating about in the "big debate" is delightfully boring-"cogeneration" or turning garbage into energy. (This is based on Jenni's real-life experience.)