Homeroom: A Shelter from the Storm — Bob Nelson

Mr. Harmon, a high school teacher, is told by his principal that his program, Homeroom, will be cancelled. Homeroom is a support group for students that Harmon facilitates. His only chance to save the program is to appeal directly to the board of education. As Harmon prepares his presentation to the board, he remembers, in a series of flashbacks, events and people from past Homerooms. He recalls some very special, heartwarming stories of students who were touched and transformed by their experiences in Homeroom. Unfortunately, he also remembers some students whose outcomes were not so positive. He begins to doubt the value of Homeroom to students. In fact, he begins to doubt himself. In the meantime, a troubled student has made elaborate plans to shoot and kill most of the upperclassman at the school. His escalating hatred, with detailed plans for a massacre, builds toward a violent resolution. Harmon's crisis of faith, his presentation to the board, and the student's plans for the shooting weave together and build toward an exciting and insightful climax.