Jan. Week 3: Monday--afternoon...

The sun dipped low in the sky, casting a warm golden hue over Pleasant Plains High School, its brick façade glowing against the backdrop of a clear blue afternoon. Laughter and chatter echoed down the bustling hallways as students hurriedly gathered their belongings, backpacks slung over their shoulders, their energy palpable. Lockers slammed shut, and the noise echoed in her classroom through her open door as she began to get ready to leave the school. She went through her regular routine of shutdown procedures.