When the fourth graders at Dunwoody Elementary School caught wind of a special assembly scheduled this week for the fifth grade class, they were understandably peeved.
Especially since the event included a visit by Logan Lerman, Alexandria Daddario and Brandon T. Jackson, the hot young stars of the new fantasy film, “Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief.”
The new film out today and directed by Chris Columbus (who helmed the first two “Harry Potter” films) is based on the hugely popular tween books by author Rick Riordan.
To protest the school’s decision, fourth grader Ciara Fleming cribbed a tip from a history lesson being taught in class.
She and her classmates cleverly crafted a petition inspired by Olive Branch Petition drafted by the Second Continental Congress and sent to King George.
When the petition was delivered to Dunwoody Elementary principal Jonathan Clark, he initially did what principals do: he ordered the enterprising small fry back to class.
“But then I actually took a look at the petition,” Clark tells Intel. “I was very impressed that Ciara took what she was learning in class and applied it to this situation.”
After he got clearance from the fire marshal, Clark relented and allowed the fourth graders into the assembly when a trio of black SUVs idled up to the school Monday.
“It was cool,” Ciara tells us. “Everybody started cheering.”
The cast was so impressed with Ciara’s resolve, they invited her up to the stage so she could be recognized.
“I got a signed T-shirt and a book,” she reports. “I was really looking forward to the movie since I got a set of the books for my birthday.”
Still, Ciara points out the dramatic difference between her school’s Olive Branch petition and the one that inspired it.
Explains the student: “King George never read the original one. So I’m really glad Principal Clark read ours!”
