Be True to Your Elf

*Everyone take out your spelling books, it's time for arithmetic.*
This article contains disputed canon, like the *Sideways Arithmetic* books or the cartoon. While officially produced and part of the *Wayside School* series, facts displayed here may not correspond with the main book series.

## Be True to Your Elf

* Title card
* Screenshot
* Video

## General

### Airdate

September 7, 2007 (CAN)
October 17, 2007 (US)

## Chronology

### Next

"Sideways Protest"

"**Be True to Your Elf**" is the first half of the fourth episode of the second season of *Wayside*.

## Synopsis

Stephen tries to become normal when Mr. Kidswatter hands him a note that says his elf costume looks ridiculous.

## Plot

This episode begins on the bus to school, where Stephen gets into costume, beginning to celebrate Wayside, stating that celebrating Wayside every day is the only thing he loves more than celebrating Halloween every day. He hands out T-shirts and stickers to all the students, cuts Wayside emblems into the grass and paints it on walls, ties a giant "W" flag on the side of the building, and helps Miss Mush with her cooking. Maurecia, Dana, Todd, and Myron agree he has the school spirit, and nominate him to lead the school float parade. Meanwhile, Mr. Kidswatter is on a call with the school district supervisor, trying to bribe him, but when he finishes the call, he gets distracted by Stephen, mistaking his costume for a leprechaun. He remembers a run-down he had with a leprechaun a while ago, and decides that Stephen can not run the float if he wants to make a good impression on the school district supervisor.

Meanwhile, Stephen is directing work on building a Halloween-themed parade float, when Mr. Kidswatter comes in disguise to give him a letter, still thinking he's a leprechaun. Stephen quickly corrects him, and decides to read the letter, but faints, waking to Dana, Todd, Maurecia, and Myron surrounding him, asking if he's okay. They decide to check the letter, which states that the students don't want Stephen to lead the contest in his ridiculous costume. Stephen asks what's wrong with the way he looks, and while the other students like him just the way he is, he takes the letter to heart, and decides that he can't mess things up, quickly changing himself to "Mr. Normal."

At his locker, Stephen throws away all his spooky decorations, deciding that from then on, he'll be a normal kid who only celebrates Halloween once a year, though, he still talks with Mr. Pumpkin. At the kitchen, Miss Mush takes note of his new looks, and prepares to hand him a spider cookie, with a live spider inside, but Stephen says that he plans on staying in the absolute middle-of-the-road no matter what. Stephen walks up to the float, asking if what they're doing is a bit much, and surprising everyone. He tries to get them to build something more plain, but everyone is too surprised by his lack of uniqueness to care. Stephen tries to defend himself, but the other students realize how miserable he looks. They notice him still talking to his pumpkin, and wonder if there's still a little bit of Stephen left in him, so they hatch a plan to help.

In the principal's office, Todd, Maurecia, Myron, and Dana are all trying to get Mr. Kidswatter to get on board with their plan to help out Stephen. However, Mr. Kidswatter doesn't want to help Stephen, remembering yet another unfortunate encounter with a leprechaun. The other students, however, note that he wasn't a leprechaun, he was an elf and proud of it until someone convinced him otherwise. Mr. Kidswatter states the note wasn't from himself, but the other students don't remember bringing up a note, forcing Mr. Kidswatter to give in.

Stephen walks into the school spirit contest, only to see the extremely spooky float he planned now finished, with all the students adorned with similar ears to the ones he usually wears. Stephen worries everyone will laugh at them, but Mr. Kidswatter shows up, hesitant to help out, but giving in, reading a new letter that says that no one represents Wayside better than him, and with the encouragement from the other students, he decides to be true to his elf. The performance gets a large cheer from the audience, and Wayside School fins first prize. Mr. Kidswatter explains that he just wanted to impress the school district supervisor, though he still doesn't know what he looks like, before spotting one last pot of gold. He tries to steal it, but the leprechaun appears one last time, revealing himself to actually just be the oddly-dressed school district supervisor. He messes with Kidswatter one last time, takes his two-bit accordion, and walks by the students as the episode ends.

## Characters

* Yodana
* Myron
* Maurecia
* Fluffy
* Eric Ovens
* Eric Bacon
* Eric Fry
* Mr. Pumpkin
* Joe
* Stephen
* Jenny
* Miss Mush
* Todd
* Mr. Kidswatter
* School district supervisor (debut)
* Louis
* Leslie
* Rondi
* Elizabeth
* Shari
* Bebe
* Incidental 068 (final appearance)
* Incidental 069 (final appearance)
* Incidental 070 (final appearance)
* Incidental 071
* Incidental 072
* Incidental 073 (final appearance)
* Incidental 076 (final appearance)
* Incidental 078 (final appearance)
* Incidental 079 (final appearance)
* Incidental 082
* Incidental 086 (final appearance)
* Incidental 165 (debut)
* Incidental 166 (debut)

## Transcript

Read a transcript for "Be True to Your Elf" here.

## Trivia

* This is the first episode animated in Adobe Flash, rather than with digital ink and paint.
* The scene with Myron marching is recreated from "Music Lessons," though it is animated in Flash, and the locked boxes have been removed.
* Multiple students from the crowd in "Mascot Madness" make their return in this episode. Most of them, however, have altered color schemes and other small design alterations, while two new models appear as well.
* Every student from Mrs. Jewls's class in the cartoon appears in this episode, except for John.

## Gallery

See a gallery of "Be True to Your Elf" here.