Ghost Of Spirit Bear

When the district turns down the petition, Cole takes it as a challenge and goes back to Ms. Kennedy to see if there is anything else he can do. She suggests going directly to the school board, but warns Cole that it is made up largely of former students who are attached to the Bulldog name. At the board meeting, Cole is accompanied by several students and is responsible for speaking about the issue. He tells the board about his experiences on the island and being attacked and forgiven by the Spirit Bear, and expresses his belief that the Spirit Bear represents inner strength. The board agrees to take the issue to the next meeting, but Cole is left without any concrete answers. He and Peter run into Keith, but Keith still refuses to admit who attacked Peter. Peter leaves angrily, but Cole stays. He finds out that Keith no longer hangs out with his old friends, but still isn’t ready to tell on them.

Cole goes back to see his father again. His father is even angrier to see him; he seems ashamed of his mistakes but is unable to account for them. Cole offers his forgiveness and love, but his father can do nothing more than act defensively, and Cole leaves in tears again. Nervous about the upcoming school board meeting, Cole gets a pep talk from Ms. Kennedy, who reminds him that he has done much scarier things. She also tells Cole that he is a born leader and should embrace it. Cole asks her why she isn’t afraid to work at a school known for violence. She answers that after her husband’s battle with cancer, nothing really scares her anymore.

After days of preparation, Cole and almost one hundred other people arrive for the school board meeting. Cole speaks first, discussing violence, drugs, death by suicide at the school, and his hopes for change. Several parents speak afterward, citing their attachment to the Bulldog mascot and their disapproval at the idea of changing it. Many students also speak in Cole’s favor. They find a resolution for the cost of the change, and Ms. Kennedy warns that no matter what the board decides, there will be fallout from the decision. She suggests they have a special hearing to discuss the issue that allows everyone from the community to attend, and the board agrees. Cole doesn’t understand why the changing of a mascot affects the whole community. Ms. Kennedy reminds him that if the issue was unimportant, he would never have fought for it to begin with.

In the days leading up to the hearing, Cole and several other students post notices everywhere, hoping to get as many people to attend as possible. Cole lies awake at night, thinking about his obligations to his ancestors and the legacy he will leave behind one day. He considers how on the island, his opponent was nature; now his opponent is the people who want to prevent change. In the final assembly before the hearing, Cole is called to speak and motivates his peers to remember their desire for change and that the school belongs to them, no longer to those who came before. By the time he is done speaking, the whole school is chanting, “Go Spirit Bears!” (139).

Hundreds of people attend the hearing. Cole bravely speaks in front of them all, describing his view of the Bulldog symbol and how it has come to represent the violence and hatred that exists at the school. He hopes that by changing the school’s symbol, it can reflect a change in consciousness. After Cole speaks, students and adults, teachers and parents speak either for or against the change until everyone who wants to speak has their turn. Ms. Kennedy boldly threatens to resign if the students’ request is not honored, believing that not honoring the request will teach the students a horrible lesson about not being able to control their own lives. She credits Cole and Peter for helping her realize that the students, not the board or the bureaucracy, are what matters. Soon, the crowd begins cheering “Go Spirit Bears!” and the issue is put to a vote.

When seven of nine board members vote in favor of the change, the room erupts in cheers and applause. Cole is congratulated, hugged, and patted on the back. Keith approaches Cole and Peter and tells them that he reported his friends to Ms. Kennedy. Cole encourages Peter to forgive Keith.

Interviewers surround Cole. He spots his father in the distant crowd and breaks for him. As he approaches, his father leaves without a word. Garvey tells Cole that his father asked about Circle healing and whether it might help him. Cole is glad to hear that his father is considering change, too.

Cole and Peter go for ice cream with their parents, and Peter’s parents offer their forgiveness to Cole. The next day, the school begins work on changing the mural in the gym. Cole looks at the progress, realizing that he is leaving behind a legacy.

When snow begins to fall, Peter’s mind turns to the man without a home, and he decides to give him the at.óow once and for all. Cole accompanies Peter to the apartment building, but the man and his belongings are gone with no trace left behind. In their place is a large wooden statue of a Spirit Bear, carved to lifelike perfection. The bear stares proudly ahead, as if gazing toward a brighter future. The boys stare in wonder, unsure how the man knew they needed the statue or where he has gone. They accept that they do not need to understand everything. Peter and Cole decide that they will put the at.óow with the statue at their school as a reminder that they are all part of the Circle. Together, they pick up the statue and carry it back to their school.