Ann Martin: Baby-Sitters Club 057

We hurried to Stacey's house, which is this hundred-year-old house directly behind Mallory's house. We tossed our school books onto the living room couch and then I followed Stacey into the kitchen.

"As I see it," Stacey said as she made us a healthy after-school snack of celery and carrot sticks, "we should schedule six weeks worth of lessons." I. took a loud crunchy bite of celery. "Each week we could deal with one or two different ways of saving the planet. Week one could focus on recycling." Stacey nodded. "Week two - conserving water. Then maybe ways to save energy." "Right." She poured us each a tall glass of juice and we carried our snacks to her room. I sat cross-legged on her bed, cradling the plate of celery and carrot sticks on my lap.

"We could follow the rest of the headings from Mrs. Gonzalez's class." I ticked them off on my fingers. "Acid Rain, Air Pollution, Vanishing Animal Life, Too Much Garbage, and Water Pollution. And then the last week we could concentrate on getting the word out to others." "You mean, like having the kids call people up?" Stacey asked.

"They could do that or . . ."I squinted one eye shut to think. "How about if we do something like invite people to come to a fair? With exhibits and posters - " "That the kids made themselves," Stacey chimed in.

I snapped my fingers. "We could call it a Green Fair." "Dawn, that's a fabulous idea!" Stacey said excitedly.

"I think we're definitely on the right track," I declared.

"This project will be the best one in the whole school," Stacey agreed.

"It will be," I said slowly, "if we can get some kids to attend our classes." "There's no time to waste," Stacey said, picking up the phone. "Let's start calling people." "Wait!" I pulled my yellow notepad out of my bookbag. "Let's make a list of people to call, and what we want to tell them. Then we should include that list in our report." "That's good." Stacey searched for a pen in the top drawer of her desk. "That way Mrs. Gonzalez can see all the work we've put into the project." I took the cap off my special black ink pen and started to write. "First we'll dial our BSC clients and ask if their kids are interested in taking our class." Stacey crossed her fingers. "And hopefully the kids will be so excited about the idea that they'll all sign up." "Then we'll find out what days are free for them," I continued.

"Terrific." Stacey held her dialing finger over the phone buttons. "Who should I start with?" "Try Kristy's house," I suggested. "We can tell her about the idea and see if David Michael is interested." While Stacey dialed, I listed the names of several of our clients in my notebook. Then I drew a line across the top and wrote down the days of the week. I figured I'd put an x on the days the kids were available. Then we'd be able to decide which day we should hold our class.

"Kristy? It's me, Stacey. Dawn and I are working on the best idea in the world." Stacey paused for a second and then rolled her eyes at me. "Okay, the second best idea in the world. The BSC was the best idea." I giggled and put my ear .beside the receiver to hear the rest of their conversation. Stacey explained about the project for Mrs. Gonzalez's class to Kristy.

"So what I want to know is," Stacey finished, "do you think David Michael would like to attend?" "Of course he would," Kristy said enthusiastically. "But he's not home right now. Tell me where it's going to be. I'll ask him about it." "Where's it going to be?" Stacey's eyes suddenly widened. "Gee. Dawn and I hadn't even thought about that. Hold on a second." Stacey put her hand over the mouthpiece and the two of us held a hasty conference. "Do you want it to be at your house?" she asked.

I shook my head. "I think it should be at your house because you're more centrally located." "Good idea." Stacey spoke into the phone once more. "Kristy, we're going to hold the classes at my house. I'm sure my mom won't mind. We haven't decided on a date yet, but we wanted to find out what days were best for the kids." "Wednesdays or Thursdays are best for David Michael," Kristy replied.

I was still listening at the receiver. Now I marked two Xs on my new chart.

Then Kristy threw us for another loop. "How will he get to the class and home again?" she asked.

Stacey's eyes, which had grown big before, were now huge. "Uh, just a sec and I'll talk to Dawn." She covered the receiver with her hand and whispered, "How are the kids going to get to my house? David Michael lives all the way across town." I looked down at the chart for a moment, and then said, "Let me talk to Kristy." Stacey handed me the phone and I said, "Hi, Kristy, it's me. Listen, if we held the class on Wednesdays, David Michael could walk to Stacey's with us after school and then ride back with you after the BSC meeting." "What would he do during our meeting?" Kristy asked logically.

"Maybe he could wait in the Kishis' living room," I suggested. "Or maybe we could ask someone else to take him home earlier." I must have sounded pretty uncertain because Kristy promptly said, "Look, why don't you guys work out some of the details and call us back later. By that time David Michael should be home." "Okay. 'Bye." I hung up the phone and gasped, "Boy, do I feel stupid. We started making our calls without working out important details like where the classes are going to be." Stacey looked as embarrassed as I felt. "It's a good thing we called Kristy first. Otherwise the parents would have thought we were real airheads." I looked at my notepad once again. "Is there anything else we forgot?" "Well, we never did decide how long the class would be," Stacey said, studying my list.

"I think it should be an hour. From 3:30 to 4:30. Any longer and the kids will get restless." We agreed to find out who would need transportation. "That way we can make a list and then maybe ask your mom or mine to help carpool," I finished.

After only an hour of dialing clients, we found eleven members for our class: Charlotte Johanssen, Becca Ramsey, David Michael Thomas, Karen and Andrew Brewer, Buddy and Suzi Barrett, Nicky and Vanessa Pike, and Hannie and Linny Papadakis. And because the Papadakises live across the street from David Michael, Mrs. Papadakis offered to drive the kids who needed a ride to the classes. Things were working out perfectly.

Stacey checked the list and said, "Only one more family to call, the Kormans. Do you want to do it?" "Sure." I dialed quickly and when Mrs. Korman answered, I started my speech. By now I'd said it so many times I was feeling like a real pro.

"Hi, Mrs. Korman, this is Dawn Schafer. Stacey McGill and I are going to be teaching an ecology class one day a week after school. This class will last an hour and is aimed at elementary school age children. Stacey and I are doing it as a project for our school but we feel very strongly that you're never too young to start protecting our planet. It's important for everyone to know that we can make a difference." As I spoke Stacey gave me a big smile. She was obviously impressed by my speech. I explained to Mrs. Korman about the six classes, and how they were absolutely free, and also about the Green Fair. I don't know what came over me but I added a new touch.

"Our Green Fair will serve two purposes," I declared. "It will help tell people about ecology and what's happening to the environment, and it will also be a way to raise money for an organization, which we will choose later, that helps save the planet." Stacey whispered, "What a brilliant idea." It was hard to stay calm during the rest of the conversation.

"We're very proud of our project, Mrs. Kor-man," I said, hoping my voice didn't sound too excited. "I'll call you back and let you know the exact date and time of the class by tomorrow afternoon." I hung up the phone and announced, "Well, that does it. Thirteen kids for our class." "Lucky thirteen," Stacey giggled. "I love it that the Green Fair will also be a fundraiser for an environmental organization." I grinned. "If our project goes right, we'll be showing not just our school but all of Stoneybrook that we are concerned enough about our community to do something to change it." "All right, Dawn!" Stacey applauded enthusiastically and I hopped off the bed and took a bow. If this was how our project was going to go, I couldn't wait for it to get started.