Kids in the Mist

The story opens on the kids playing in the playground, while we hear Child Psychologist Dr Quality speaking to Principal Prickly. She's proposing to Principal Prickly the idea of creating a documentary about the children and their antics at school and during recess. He's clearly not interested in what she has to say until she says that the Superintendent thinks the idea is genius and that the Principal of the school featured in her documentary will be showcased with wisdom in education, which makes him change his mind and agree.

Dr Quality then spends the next few days trying to inconspicuously film the students. Trying to communicate with them and even going as far as to disguise herself in the jungle gym to hide from and observe them, all to no avail. She then returns to her camera sets to find her team, a group of Grad Students, have left because it is 'too much work for no cash money'. Dr Quality grabs the camera, insisting that she doesn't need any help. To which then, the camera breaks and she falls to the ground in tears. C.J and the gang notice her anguish and offer to help her with Rigalli saying 'if you wanted to video tape us that bad, why didn't you just ask us?' C.J strikes a deal with Dr Quality 'you promise to get off our playground and stop bugging us, and we'll help you make your video'. The gang then spend the next few days playing and frolicking as they would usually, while Dr Quality films them and captures the very best and most fun elements of their recess time.

Dr Quality expresses her gratitude to the gang, while taping up her temporary door name sign over the janitor's closet's door. She then says to the kids, 'I'm sure the final result will ensure that a lot of important changes get made around here', all while locking the closet door. Vance queries when they will be able to see the final result of the documentary, to see the efforts of their labours and Dr Quality tells them 'let's say sometime around November...of next year'. The gang are shocked at this but she tries to cover by saying 'these things take time', she starts to leave and says goodbye to the kids, expressing that it has been a 'most interesting experience'. The gang are understandably confused and angry that she has dismissed them like this. C.J points out that if she is showcasing the film on the following Monday, then at least some of it must be done by now. Rigalli picks the lock to the door and the kids go inside. Mickey finds the movie and presses play, while the kids sit down to watch. The movie starts and the opening seems very normal as an immersive documentary into recess in a typical Elementary School.

**"*This is recess. The average student spends nearly minutes, more than hours, nearly three work weeks of every school year, on the playground. But do any of us know what our children are really doing out there? After years of painstaking research, I have discovered the truth. Recess: it's a place where dangerous antics rule the day. Where children are taught to steal bases and balls. Where the smartest, most intelligent child, is chased like a wild animal. Respected expert, principal Peter Prickly, has this to say: 'Recess? It's a waste of time, that's what it is. Kids today should be spending more time in the classroom, learning to compete in a global economy, and less time on the playground acting like... like children.'* *Perhaps this great man is right. Today's society stands at a crossroads. Do today's kids have time for recess, or should we get rid of this archaic institution? You be the judge!"***

The kids feel betrayed as they discuss how she used them to film a movie that will encourage the possible banning of recess. They insist they must do something and C.J suggests that they make a new movie and swap it out for the old one, without anyone knowing. They film their own version of the movie, which they then do change out and edit with the old one. Dr Quality, Superintendent Brickly, Principal Prickly and the head of Quality's department, Dr Taurus Kitzengerb all arrive to the closet to preview the tape, so the kids hide themselves away, as they didn't have time to escape. Dr Quality plays the tape and is pleased with herself to begin with, until she notices the changes. The kids had edited the movie to create a complete parody version, including; Mickey pretending to be a train and then a clip of a train collision to show 'dangerous antics'. Rigalli and Rus are chased by police officers after 'stealing bases and balls'. Greta 'being chased by the wild animal' which cuts to tigers in the jungle. The adults are all laughing, except Quality, at the parody as they're approaching Principal Prickly's section, where he hushes them for his moment. To then discover that his entire section has been dubbed over with a pig snorting. The movie is then changed in voiceover to C.J and the gang;

***"But what do the real experts say? Recess is a place where you can swing so high, you can see over the tops of houses. Where you can slide so fast, you can't even walk afterwards. A place where hanging with your friends really means hanging with your friends. The average kid spends hours in school very year, more than hours doing homework, hours doing chores, and only minutes a day on the playground. Sure, we want to learn to become good adults, but we're only kids for a little while. So just give us a break. Please?"***

Prickly then berates Quality and she defends herself saying it's some sort of mistake. However, Superintendent Brickly & Dr Kitzengerb express their love for the movie. They say it's brilliant and how great of an idea it was to give the control and cameras to the kids for the movie. She expresses that Quality will be working and studying with children for a very long time, based on how impressed she is, much to Quality's dismay. She then asks Superintendent Brickly if she would like to join both ladies for lunch, while Brickly asks Kitzengerb if she knows anyone who she would recommend for a Middle School job he has open. Prickly interjects, saying he knows someone, to which Brickly says 'Shut Up Prickly'.

The gang go out onto the playground to see Dr Quality trying to engage with the Kindergarteners, before they tie her up and pull her into their pen with her shouting 'Why me!' as they do.