- School Principal: This is a very important day in the life of our school and the life of our community.
- School Principal: Today marks the beginning of the dedication of our school building, the beginning of the dedication of our lives here in this school, and I feel very full inside to see children out there dressed so nicely , looking so beautiful.
- Adam Clayton Powell Jr.: You have a great future.
- Adam Clayton Powell Jr.: Don't think there is anything that you can't become in the United Sates of America whether you're black or other.
- Adam Clayton Powell Jr.: You can be anything you want to be.
- Adam Clayton Powell Jr.: You are limited only by what you think you are.
- Adam Clayton Powell Jr.: So think that you are as good as anybody else, and you will be as good as anybody else.
- Woman Teacher: What point should be made to the UFT. Well, I made a point last year that they have a separate philosophy all together in the complex. And it should not be under the same rules and regulations that have been for the city. They just misconstrue whatever you give them as being against them.
- Teacher: When you first come in the morning, you have twenty minutes before we start at nine O'clock. In that twenty minutes you get your pencils. You sharpen them, and you get yourself already to start.
- Boy Student: I brought all them girls in there so I could kiss them all.
- Boy Student: Yes it do. Milk do come from a cow, addressing student next to him. No, it comes from a milk company, right? Milk comes from no cow. It comes from a chocolate milk machine.
- Student: You were here last year? I wasn't. I was in California. I wasn't in no New York.
- Lunch / Recess Monitor: There is too much talking up there and I want you to shut up! I still hear voices. Don't even breathe hard. I hear that. I don't want no noise.
- Woman Paraprofessional: I was interested in the Lonely Hearts Club, and this guy wrote me a letter, and I didn't know anything about it.
- Teacher: You know everything in this classroom is broken. Why is everything in this classroom broken?
- Girl Student: After we go down south I'm gonna sleep on the bus like I did before.
- Woman Paraprofessional: You girls better return to your class. No wonder you are always so late!
- Woman Lunch / Recess Monitor: I'll tell you one thing. You better shut up, sit down and eat.
- Lunch / Recess Monitor: You're putting banana peels on the floor. Do not take any bananas to the outside yard. Eat everything before going out, and put your trays where they belong.
- Girl Student: Her mother is going to give her a whipping. Kanoga is nasty. When Kanoga was talking she showed her food.
- Lunch / Recess Monitor #2: Didn't you hear what I said? Get out in that yard!
- Boy Student: You're a lover, Darryl. Your a lover. Darling, your beautiful heart.
- Girl Student singing and clapping with other girl students: Down, down, the roller coaster. Sweet, sweet baby, I'll never let you go. Shimmy, Shimmy, Cocoa Puff, Shimmy, Shimmy why? Shimmy, Shimmy Cocoa Puff, Shimmy, Shimmy, why?
- Lunch / Recess Monitor: Why don't you hit him back? Next time he hits you you hit him back.
- Lunch / Recess Monitor #2: On the side. On the wall. Get on the side! Next time you learn to keep your mouth shut.
- Boy Student: They always beat up him. Your threw that rock. I saw you!
- Boy Student: Hey, you saw Charlie Brown? You have a television? Ha, Ha, Ha, he don't even have no television.
- Lunch / Recess Monitor #2: Next time your mouth is open and you're not chewing food you'll be standing on the side.
- Boy Student: You black little nose dog biscuit burner. You want a penny go get a black Benny. You want a nickle go get a pickle with your big black nickle. Other Boy Student replies, I don't care if you get your big old brother. I can fight for my own battles.
- Girl Student: I'm gonna play with my brother and sister. I've got to give my baby a bottle, and I will play with my dog, and will watch TV, and I'm gonna have a whole lot of fun.
- Boy Student: We're going to be friends. We're going to be friends.
- Boy Student: No!
- Boy Student: I hate gym a little bit because its too rough for me, but I can fight.
- Boy Student: Steve got an Afro! Steven got an Afro!
- School Principal: On loud speaker from office to play yard. May I have your attention. Teachers, boys and girls, may I have your attention for a moment. I want to emphasize to the teachers and to all the students here the importance of being very careful outside. The weather is breaking. It is becoming nice again and we have to be watchful and very careful of the children. We've had a couple of accidents in the past week and we do not what any more accidents. Certainly, we do not want any serious accidents, so we have to be extremely careful, everybody. Teachers, students, paraprofessionals, everybody must be extremely careful and watchful. Boys and girls, I'm asking you, if you are in the yard play organized games. Don't run around. Anyone throwing things or jeopardizing anyone... refrain from horseplay, wrestling and that kind of behavior in he classroom. Be careful in the lunch area. Do not throw rocks and things of that sort. Again, yesterday, it was necessary for me to call the parents of two children here to the school during the lunch hour because they left the building. They were out across the street. And the parents dealt with the children very severely. I can't over emphasize the importance of safety measures in the school yard. So, again, I 'm asking you, everyone, to please cooperate. Thank you very much.
- Girl Student (singing): Sing, sing song, song, song sing. Song, sing song, song sing sing. Song sing song, song sing sing. Sing sing song., song sing sing.
- Boy Student: Let them fight. Let them fight. Let them kill themselves.
- Girl Student (fighting): Leave her alone!
- Girl Student (fighting): D I C K Your holy draws. You take this one and I'll take that one. You shut up before I'll black you up!
- Boy Student: That boy threw a whole lot of money over here and I catched all of it.
- Boy Student: Let me see. Let me see. That's real money?
- Girl Student: You want to be with us when we go to Central Park rock picking?
- Boy Student: Yea, you want it off? I'll chop it off! I'll chop your balls off!
- Teacher: I want those words to look like words on the paper. I don't want anything sloppy, OK? I don't want all this little writing falling off the line.
- Lunch / Recess Monitor: Douglas, your're going to kill the tree. Leave it! Every body line-up. It's line-up time. Let's go!
- Girl Student: And that's how your tongue gets black and that's how your butt gets black.
- Girl Student: My mother gave me a whole bunch of money, and then my aunt gave me more money, and then we bought some candy.
- Lunch / Recess Monitor: Let's go. Did you hear what I said, let's go! Come on, line up! Line up, Nioke, Jackie. Let's go. As, I said before, get the balls to me and get to your line. It's line up time!
- Lunch / Recess Monitor: Mrs. Gold's children, what are you doing out of the line? It's line-up time! Let's go!
- Teacher: Be seated! I don't see that you can hear well!
- Boy Student: Tell me the secret password. Tell me in my ears. Say it in Spanish.
- Girl Student: My sister got a maxi coat like this and she didn't want to wear it.
- Girl Student rhyme: Mack, Mack, Mack, all dressed in black, black, black with silver buttons, buttons, buttons all down her back, back, back.
- Girl Student choosing using a rhyme.: Eeny, meeny, miny moe, catch a piggy by its toe. If he hollers let him go, out goes the rat. Out goes the lady with the sea saw hat. You out! Fred is out.
- Girl Student: I saw him. She saw me. I kissed him. She kissed me.
- Boy Student: Is this real fight? What do you say man?
- Group of Girl Students singing rhyme: Jennie had a newborn baby. If it's a girl, if its a curl. If it's a boy, if it's a toy. Wrap it up in toilet paper, send it down an alligator. First floor stop.
- School Principal: It's an extra privilege and honor for me to introduce a gentleman who is well known to all of us. And, through his efforts, since before I was born, has contributed to what we're trying to build here, self determination and independence for our community. I'd like to introduce the honorable Adam Clayton Powell, congressman from our 18th diistrict.