Prologue

August 13 2025, 9:30

“Do do do lalala,” Cam sang, after a long day advertising the spring art Auction. Cam was alone because everyone was at the House Rally sorting. 

All of a sudden, a dark figure appeared in the doorway.”Oh, a student! I wonder if he wants an autograph. Oops,” Cam said. He had dropped his paint palette. Then… a bag whooshed over Cam’s head! And he was dragged away, leaving his paintbrush and palette. That was the last time Cam was seen in public. Have you seen them since?

The famous WCSA mascot [Cam] has gone missing! Please contact room 10 if you have clues about where Cam might be.

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WCSA staff still don’t know his whereabouts, but Detective Sequoia is finding clues as we speak! What clues has he discovered? Cam’s paint palette was discovered under Eugene the Reading machine, glued to the bottom of a no-name 4th grader's homework.

       Detective Sequoia thought it suspicious that the house of Altruismo had significantly more points than any other house. There was a witness who said they saw size six Vans footprints coming from the scene. So Detective Sequoia interviewed all the 4th graders in Altruismo and narrowed it down to a kid with a size six Vans shoe, Richie. Detective Sequoia found Richie on the playground. “Richie, WHERE IS CAM AND WHY DID YOU CAMNAP HIM?”        

“He is in the chicken coop.” admitted Richie.

      “So WHY DID U CAMNAP HIM?”

      “Let me tell you a little story. Back in 3rd grade, I was drawing, and Cam walked past and commented, “Nice teddy bear, dude,” BUT I WAS DRAWING A UNICORN. Ever since then, I have resented him and plotted REVENGE. 

⬅(Richie’s Unicorn drawing)

“BRO, that makes no sense. Your drawing does look a bit like a teddy bear. Cam didn’t mean to hurt your feelings!” Sequoia put handcuffs on Richie.

“Bro, I'm innocent. I'm only 9, you can't arrest me,” proclaimed Richie. Sequoia ran over to the chicken coop and opened the door. There was too much grass to see Cam, so he grabbed his scissors and ran back so he could get the grass out of the chicken coop. Sequoia reached into the chicken coop when suddenly he felt a hand, pulled with all his might, and there was Cam! He looked scruffy like an old artifact. “CAM!” Sequoia said eagerly. 

“Yes,” Cam said. “Thank you so much for rescuing me! Here, take some house coins.” Cam handed Sequoia some old, now useless, house coins. 

“Umm, it's ok, I don't need any payment.” Sequoia went to the office to show Ms. Legoretta that Cam had been found. 

“OMG, Cam, where have you been?” she exclaimed.

Cam said, “Trapped in the chicken coop!” 

“Ok, Cam, and where's the culprit?” asked Ms. Legoretta.

“Don't worry,” Sequoia says. “I know who it is. Richie confessed after we found enough evidence against him.”

They agreed that Richie’s punishment for Camnapping would be to lose all his house points and sit in the Dunk Booth for an entire Field Day. Richie learned his lesson, Cam is safe, and WCSA is happy. Detective Sequoia is looking for another case to solve. But that is another story...

1. Why do you like being a janitor here at our school?

Henry: “I like it because I feel like I’m helping the school run smoothly. When the classrooms and campus are clean, students can focus better on learning. I also enjoy seeing the students every day and being part of the school community.”

Caesar: “It is small and calm.”

2. What are the best parts of your job? Hardest parts?

Henry: “The best part is knowing that what I do helps everyone here. When the school is clean and organized, it makes a difference for teachers and students.

The hardest part is that there’s always something to do. Schools are busy places, so things can get messy fast. But that’s part of the job, and I just keep working to stay on top of it.”

Cesar: “I can interact with kids and adults. The hardest part is walking!”

3. What are some things you do that we don’t even notice?

Henry: “A lot of the work happens early in the morning or after school when students aren’t around. Things like fixing small problems, cleaning areas people don’t think about, taking care of spills, and making sure bathrooms and classrooms are ready for the next day.”

Cesar: “The thing that doesn't really get noticed is that I take care of our school.”

4. How is being a school janitor different from working in an office building?

Henry: A school is much more active. There are students everywhere, sports, lunches, and lots of movement. In an office building, things are usually quieter. In a school, every day is different, and there’s always something going on.

Caesar: “The difference is instead of working inside an office, I mostly work outside all day.”

WCSA will celebrate Earth Day on April 24th!

We will celebrate the environment and there will be a recycled art contest and a recycled fashion show! It has been years since we have had an Earth Day Celebration.

The WCSA Green team is planning the event.

There will be bubbles, seed balls, mosaics, crafts, games, snacks, and the smoothie bike! 

Ooh cool.

Guess what? This year, we are doing Mean Girls Jr. for the spring play! We are so excited for it. Here are the people who are helping:

• Director: Teacher Bobby

• Organizer: Miss Pozzi

• Vocal Director: Marley

• Co-Director: Ian

• Stage Manager: Brooke

• Stage Manager: Ms. Gill

• Dance Choreographer/Teacher: Izzy 

• Costume Designer: Gaby 

We do the spring Musical because there are people who grew up doing theater, as well as students who want to start acting. The spring musical is always fun because teacher Bobby does something different each year and makes us guess what the musical will be. In addition, it has been a tradition at WCSA to perform a spring musical. Our first rehearsal was a read-through of the entire play! It is very funny, and the music is great. 

By Xitlali