In the story Nothing Constant "Nothing is constant but change."

—Heraclitus, an ancient Greek philosopher

1

It was the last day of school; the kids were gone, the books had been collected, and Principal Drake was handing out final paychecks. This was normally a relaxed meeting at which teachers wearing casual clothes smiled and wished each other well for the summer. But no one was smiling today, because a story in the local newspaper had exploded like a crack of thunder.

2

The headline read, "Board of Education Plans New Middle School," and the staff members of East Orange Elementary were rattled.

3

Principal Tom Drake opined, "I am concerned about a situation in which a newspaper already knows school district information that comes as a surprise to me and my teachers." He continued, "But of far greater concern is what this means for us, for our colleagues at West Orange,