Snap Judgment – School Daze: Stuck in the Middle – Snap Classic
Date: September 18, 2025
Host: Glynn Washington
Featured Storytellers: Lee, Parker, Jamie McGonigal, Mighty Mike McGee
Produced by Mark Bettencourt
Overview
In this classic Snap Judgment episode “Stuck in the Middle,” Snap dives deep into stories about navigating the fraught, transformative years of middle school. The main narrative follows Lee and Parker, two seventh graders at Hyattsville Middle School near D.C., as their drama club’s production of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee is swept up in a controversy over LGBTQ+ representation. What starts as excitement for the stage quickly morphs into a battle over acceptance, identity, and visibility—both in the wider community and within themselves.
Key Segments & Discussion Points
1. Introduction: The Pressure to Conform
[01:54 – 05:06]
- Glynn Washington sets the theme: struggling to fit in and the quest for invisibility in middle school. He recalls his own experience pushing away an ally to avoid suspicion and introduces today's story about “stuck in the middle” at school.
- Quote: “The next best thing to a real invisibility cloak in middle school is listening to Snap Judgment.” – Glynn Washington [04:45]
2. The Stage Is Set: Spelling Bee Auditions
[05:06 – 07:24]
- The theater room at Hyattsville Middle School, a haven for misfits and dreamers, buzzes with anticipation as Lee auditions.
- Lee, a “loud, high-pitched, gangly kid” faces bullying for their appearance and voice, but on stage, feels accepted.
- Quote: “Think about it. Now all I think about for middle school is how much I was bullied. Like, not even my homework or projects, just either theater or being bullied.” – Lee [06:56]
3. Finding Connection: Lee and Parker’s Friendship
[07:24 – 09:54]
- Lee lands the coveted role of William and meets Parker, who’s assistant stage manager.
- Their connection deepens after Lee confides about budding queerness and Parker offers understanding.
- Quote: “You can. You can like both.” – Parker responds to Lee’s questioning [09:28]
- Quote: “I was like, oh, okay, cool.” – Lee, discovering bisexuality [09:32]
4. Drama On and Off the Stage
[09:54 – 13:17]
- The kids, playing out the awkwardness of middle school through their musical, face new challenges: adult-themed jokes and for Lee, playing a gay dad on stage.
- Ms. G, the theater teacher, checks in on Lee’s comfort with the role.
- Quote: “It’s just gay. It’s acting. Just acting.” – Lee’s initial perspective [12:26]
- Lee relishes the maturity and trust Ms. G gives them.
5. The School’s Backlash and Bullying Intensify
[13:17 – 14:42]
- After bullies witness Lee rehearsing, the harassment steps up, now targeting their involvement with theater and queer roles.
- Quote: “Being in that vulnerable state, figuring out who I was, being bullied before I even could figure out what I was… it was a lot.” – Lee [14:08]
- Despite the relentless bullying, Lee finds freedom in rehearsals: “In rehearsal, I’m free. I’m happy.”
6. Sudden Cancellation: Paradise Lost
[15:39 – 16:41]
- Three weeks to curtain, Ms. G calls a meeting: the musical is canceled.
- Lee is devastated: “My paradise was gone.” [16:11]
- Parker experiences anger, then confusion about the reasons for cancellation.
7. The Real Reason Emerges: Community Uproar
[19:27 – 24:19]
- Parents, led by Parker’s mom and neighbor Jamie McGonigal (a gay theater activist), protest, believing the cancellation is due to the gay dads scene.
- Quote: “All my gay antennae went off, and I put on my cape.” – Jamie [21:08]
- Jamie kickstarts an online campaign. Broadway names share the petition; 60,000 signatures pour in.
- The kids feel both seen and overwhelmed by the sudden focus on their identities and the adults’ activism.
- Quote: “I didn’t want to be seen… in the transition period I was in. Like, I wanted time to reflect… before I allowed people to see that part of me.” – Parker [24:51]
8. Student Voices: A Meeting and a Microphone
[25:45 – 28:59]
- At a packed public meeting, Lee struggles to be heard, eventually speaking out in tears about losing a safe space and feeling overlooked in the broader debate.
- Quote: “You guys are all worried about the wrong thing. That has nothing to do with the actual problem.” – Lee, addressing the crowd [28:14]
- Lee: “I was…upset that they weren’t…No one cared to ask me about anything.” [28:51]
9. Protest, Media Attention, and a Reversal
[29:40 – 32:33]
- Media, led by Jamie’s outreach, amplifies the story. Local TV questions whether “the play’s portrayal of a same sex couple” led to cancellation [31:12].
- The school backs down—the show is reinstated, with a disclaimer required about mature content.
- Lee: “Nothing really changed, really…I think I was happy that… I could be myself again.” [32:09]
- Parker: “Now it’s a bigger deal…It was just a play that we were doing for fun.” [32:33]
10. Last-Minute Chaos and Opening Night
[33:08 – 40:22]
- Only three weeks to remount the show; nerves and pressure run high.
- When no students are willing to play the gay dads, Parker’s and another student’s dads step in. Parker playfully critiques her dad’s “stereotypical” performance.
- Parker: “You’re acting a little too gay…you have to dial it down a little.” [35:36]
- Opening night: technical disasters—lights fail, mics cut out, but the show stumbles forward.
- The scene with the gay dads gets huge applause, but the kids feel ambivalent:
- Lee: “Can we keep the show going?...You got what you wanted.” [40:27]
- Parker: “Are they really here for me?” [40:37]
11. Curtain Call and Reflection
[41:05 – 42:40]
- After the show and a standing ovation, both Parker and Lee feel a sense of anticlimax and nostalgia for the camaraderie in theater.
- Their friendship deepens:
- Lee: “We kind of listened to each other…we kind of found what we needed in a way.” [41:42]
- Parker: “I had never had a friend like that before…to talk about this important journey.” [41:58]
- Post-show, they celebrate together, finally feeling accepted and loved by their peers.
12. Snap Classic Story – “Winningest Losers at Hoover Middle School”
[45:10 – 53:42]
- Mighty Mike McGee performs a powerful live story of enduring bullying for a disability, his mother’s advice to make people “laugh with you not at you,” and surviving a middle school “pantsing” with creativity and nerve.
- Quote: “There is no way the rich kids aren’t going to make sure that I get pantsed. My clowning crew grew nervous.” – Mike McGee [48:40]
- Mike dodges humiliation with layers of sweatpants, forming an unlikely bond with the school’s fastest kid.
- “Knowing that Corey and I were the winningest losers at Hoover Middle School, class of 1990.” [53:38]
Notable Quotes & Moments
- “Being in that vulnerable state, figuring out who I was, being bullied before I even could figure out what I was… it was a lot.” – Lee [14:08]
- “You can. You can like both.” – Parker to Lee [09:28]
- “All my gay antennae went off, and I put on my cape.” – Jamie McGonigal [21:08]
- “I didn’t want to be seen… in the transition period I was in.” – Parker [24:51]
- “You guys are all worried about the wrong thing.” – Lee [28:14]
- “We kind of listened to each other, and that’s… what we needed in a way.” – Lee [41:42]
- “Make them laugh with you, not at you.” – Mike McGee’s mother’s advice [46:06]
Episode Timestamps
- [01:54] Glynn’s childhood story; setting the tone
- [05:06] Lee & Parker’s introduction/theater class
- [09:06] Lee confides in Parker about sexuality
- [13:17] Bullying intensifies; theater a refuge
- [15:48] Ms. G announces the play’s cancellation
- [19:45] Reasons for cancellation and community responds
- [22:58] Jamie’s activism escalates to national attention
- [25:45] Emotional school board meeting; Lee’s speech
- [31:40] Announcement: Play is back on
- [35:43] Parker’s dad steps in to play a gay dad
- [38:55] Disaster-filled opening night
- [41:35] Lee & Parker’s friendship post-play
- [45:10] Mighty Mike McGee’s live middle-school story
Tone and Style
- Honest, raw, and laced with humor and empathy.
- Intergenerational: young voices (Lee & Parker), supportive but sometimes oblivious adults, seasoned performers like Mike McGee.
- Relatable: explores bullying, the awkwardness of adolescence, the meaning of friendship, and fighting for belonging.
Closing Reflection
School Daze: Stuck in the Middle is a nuanced exploration of the delicate, pivotal moments of adolescence. Through Lee and Parker’s journey, Snap Judgment captures the reality that “visibility” can be both healing and harrowing—and that sometimes, the most life-changing victories aren’t about politics or protest, but about forging bonds and simply getting through it together. The episode ends on a note of warmth and hard-won understanding: sometimes, being “stuck in the middle” is exactly where friendship is found.