Fire from the Rock

Sylvia gets home from school to find that her mother redeemed her book of green stamps to get Sylvia a record player. She then learns that she is one of the 17 finalists on the list to integrate Central High. The announcement sparks tension between Gary and her father, and they have a heated exchange over the possibility of a peaceful integration. Sylvia has never seen Gary so upset, and she worries that he just wants to fight all the time. Gary storms out and slams the door. Sylvia writes in her diary about all the horrible things she sees going on in the world and questions whether she can actually be the one to bring change.

Sylvia and the other ninth graders attend their last day of school before graduating from junior high and heading to high school. Sylvia and her classmates participate in many traditions and an awards ceremony. All the girls wear fancy dresses, and the boys wear suits and dress shoes. Every student has an autograph book, and they pass them around to get every signature they can. Miss Washington meets with each student one-on-one and says something nice about them as she signs their autograph book.