Chapter 59: A threat at the door
Some things startled people in a single instant, but that did not mean they had not existed or had not already happened.
The Grade Leader learned of the clash between the girls of Senior One Class Five and Year One, Class One. This sort of incident, especially a clash between girls, seriously undermined the school's normal atmosphere and ran counter to the principal's recent instructions to improve school conduct and discipline.
Nothing could be allowed to go wrong at City First Middle School. As the national key high school that drew the most attention in all of Xiahai City, it attracted the eyes of the entire city, and the slightest disturbance there would affect public commentary and opinion.
With the influx of so many children of influential families, the atmosphere at City First Middle School had indeed gone somewhat astray. In recent years, the senior administrators had begun to feel the pressure. National key high schools were reviewed every year, and competition for that status was fierce. Facilities, teaching quality, targets, and every other aspect had to meet the requirements; falling short in any one area would mean being stripped of that distinction.
Over the past three years, Xiahai City No. 1 High School's ranking had plummeted from twenty-eighth among the nation's thirty-six key high schools to thirty-third. The incumbent principal, Ding Juntao, had devoted considerable energy to this issue, sometimes even waking with a start from nightmares of the school losing its national key status.
Ding Juntao had some grasp of the school's current situation, so he made adjustments. After establishing the class assignment and teacher performance assessment systems, he began focusing on improving school conduct and refining its disciplinary rules.
At a school meeting, Ding Juntao had even criticized Xiao Rihua