Degrassi: Next Class

Welcome to Degrassi's 60th Anniversary Weekend.

You can join any and all events,

but do not miss tomorrow night's formal gala spectacular.

Alumni versus teachers Ultimate Frisbee? Right on.

Oh, guessing you play?

I'm only the captain of my team in law school.

- Hmm, okay. - Liberty!

- Holly J! - Hi.

Holly J. Sinclair?

As in, the former student council president?

You're pretty much my idol. Uh, Tristan Milligan.

Wow, did you and your council organize this entire weekend yourselves?

And we considered every last detail. I'd be honored to give you a tour.

Sure. It feels like 500 years since I was last here.

Well, all these screens are new, and for the gala,

they'll be playing a slideshow of students past and...

- - Oh!

- What are you doing? - This is a sit-in.

Oh! And what's the adorable high school issue du jour? Gluten in the caf?

My boyfriend was suspended for five days for fighting.

But it wasn't his fault. He was just defending my honor.

- Can't you find a different hallway? - Tiny got five days?

After Frankie Hollingsworth got basically nothing for that drawing?

Simpson says it's because of that zero-tolerance policy or whatever,

but that shouldn't apply to knights in shining armor.

Pinky's right.

I'm gonna sit, too.

- I always knew we'd be friends. - No, no, you... you can't do this now.

I'm sorry. Are you denying their right to protest? Mind if I join?

Guess you didn't consider every last detail.

This can't be happening.

Then I dance over to Winston and we announce the musical medley,

"Degrassi Through the Ages."

- How does it look so far? - Guys, this is amazing.

- - This is a disaster.

So many people have worked so hard on this,

and what's the first thing the alumni are gonna see?

Winston's awkward dance moves?

- Winston, no. - Lola's protest.

It makes our school look like we have problems.

So ask Simpson to kick them out.

How can I do that? When I was elected president,

I vowed to make Degrassi a place for everyone, and I meant it.

Lola can protest literally any other day of the year.

This is true.

Not to mention what they're saying doesn't even make sense.

That Frankie's drawing is somehow worse than Tiny getting in a huge fight?

Come on.

You're right. I'll talk to Simpson.

I can't let a few disgruntled students

stop this from being the greatest event in Degrassi history.

Is the sun in your eyes, or do I detect an actual smile?

This book's kinda giving me hope. People actually get past this stuff.

Hmm. So we can stop hiding out?

I mean, they're still calling me "Hollingsracist" and "Ku Klux Fran,"

but I feel like if I can get out in front of it

and show people that I'm more than... what I did, then...

Which, for the record, was just a drawing, and not a very good one.

- It offended a lot of people. - People are annoying.

Still, I miss volleyball, and I miss my friends.

Maybe if I do something good, they'll forget the bad.

Like what?

I don't know. I'm kinda waiting for the universe to present something.

...gala, a night to remember.

So pick up your tickets today in the foyer.

- Okay, what did I do? - No. Maya just lost her voice,

so we have no one to sing the girl part to the school song at the gala,

- so she figured you know someone. - I'll do it.

Yeah, yeah. I mean, she does some pretty sweet harmonies with me in my car.

Okay, cool. Well, we all rehearse together tomorrow.

- I'll give you guys a text. - Cool.

- You really think this will work? - Can't make it any worse.

Hmm.

- You look great. - Um, what's this picture for again?

Simpson told us we're not allowed to do a sit-in in school,

so we're gonna do a protest outside the gala.

- Whoa. Like, a "protest" protest? - Yeah. That picture's for the sign.

So do you prefer "hashtag, free Tiny," or "hashtag, justice for Tiny"?

Neither. I don't want a protest.

I just wanna do my time and then come back to school.

But you were wrongfully suspended, and it's my fault, boo. Let me fix it.

Oh, don't even try those eyes with me on this one.

Do you know what'll happen if you put my face on those signs?

All the alumni will fall in love with you

and I'll have to fight a bunch of adult women for my man?

- It'll become the trial of Tiny Bell. - Which you'll win. You're innocent.

I did fight that dude, Lo.

And no matter what picture you choose, the other side will pick their own...

like one of me and my brother, who's in jail.

That's not going to happen.

I just wanna focus on my GPA and get into a good university.

- I don't want all this attention. - But so many people are on your side.

Your friends, randos from school, some alumni, even.

If I'm okay with my suspension, shouldn't you be, too?

We had to protest to get wheelchair ramps for Jimmy,

- if you can believe it. - Wow.

Uh... what do you think, Lo?

That lettering is so cute, but we don't need these anymore.

But we already made, like, 500 signs.

And that's real sweet, but Tiny doesn't want us to protest, so...

- Whoa. This isn't just about Tiny. - What do you mean?

It's about how this school treats someone like Tiny

differently than someone like Frankie Hollingsworth.

Frankie got punished, too. She got kicked off the volleyball team.

But Grace is right. That doesn't exactly go on her permanent record.

Little white girls always get special treatment.

You guys are blowing this way out of proportion.

If you don't think that racism is a problem at Degrassi, then prove it.

- Fine. I will. -

Is that okay... for the gala?

I have full-body chills, if that answers your question.

Craig is awesome.

If every set is like that, this show will be as amazing as I dreamed.

Up next... Mo Mashkour with stand-up comedy.

You got this, Mo.

Hey, Degrassi!

It's been two years since I went here, and everything's the same.

But also, everything's changed.

Back in my day, we had to ask girls out in person.

Now you got apps.

You could, like, Uber yourself a girlfriend right to math class.

Back in my day, we had protests,

but over, like, fries in the caf, or reopening a garden,

not the serious stuff they're talking about outside...

- Um... -

- What? You don't like it? - Well, I like the first part.

Yeah, well, that's just the intro.

I'm getting to the real meat and potatoes now.

- Yeah, but it's not true. - Okay,

I may have experimented with drugs in university,

but I know I didn't hallucinate

those people painting protest signs outside.

Yeah, those are just a few angry students who don't actually represent this school.

Well, neither do I, I guess.

I quit.

Oh, man! Dude, that was killer!

- Should we start playing gigs again? - Yes, definitely. But how was I?

- Yeah, you were pretty good. - But, like, how good, exactly?

Man, I heard this younger generation needed constant validation, but...

Was I make-everyone-forget-my-very- public-mistake good?

Depends. What was your mistake?

Um, there was this prank war... with the volleyball team...

The gorilla banner?

- That was you? - Wait, you guys heard about that?

Oh, um...

- I probably can't do this. - What? Why?

Well, what happens if we get tagged in a photo together?

- I don't know. Nothing? - Looks like I support you.

People kinda freaked out over what you did,

and I want to get into politics one day. It's just too risky.

Yeah, he's right. I basically just got this job at the studio,

and I work with a lot of black guys.

Well, you guys can't quit. That's unfair to you.

I'll quit.

Nah, it's the school song. It should be sung by a current student.

You want me to sing it alone?

For what it's worth, I thought you sounded amazing.

I'm sorry, I don't understand

"how to prove my school isn't racist."

- Ugh! Stupid phone! - That was your whole plan?

How would someone even prove that? It's impossible.

God, Grace is so mean.

Tiny and I have only been dating for a couple weeks,

and now he's going to dump me.

I'm so glad we don't have to do exams again.

Why did he have to get suspended in the first place?

- This is so weird. - Ugh! Stupid zero-tolerance policy.

Excuse me.

Are you guys talking about the zero-tolerance policy?

We don't have to bother these nice girls, Marco.

They're probably doing homework or something. Sorry.

No, no. Wait, wait. I just listened to a podcast about it.

- It's seriously flawed. - Uh, what do you mean "flawed"?

I wouldn't get him started, hon.

Okay, so it turns out the policy is not always applied fairly.

But isn't zero tolerance, like... zero tolerance?

Not when there are exemptions.

And it turns out that a white male student

is three times more likely to be exempt from the policy

than a non-white student. Six times for girls.

- Excuse me? - Seriously?

- So the policy is racist? - And sexist, by the sounds of it.

Or there could be other structural inequalities at play,

and it might not totally be the school's fault.

Yeah, but those stats are still bonkers.

I keep telling you, you gotta listen to that podcast.

- Okay, don't make me slap you again. - Please. I love your hair.

So, Grace is right?

And, uh, those are the new screens I was telling you about.

Whoa!

Man, I can't believe it's the same school.

And everyone's so much better looking, yeah?