In the second episode of their New York City private school series, Ellie and Carrie move on from the dreamland of Spence lower school to the hell scape of middle school materialism and accelerated adolescence. We start with the joys and horrors of Knicker Bocker, where we, white-gloved, danced with tiny boys who, to us, were gods. Where are Pierre (FKA Peter of New Jersey) and "the lovely Ms. Yvonne" now?

With our first-ever guest Jess, we hear about her transition from a city public school to a private school in the Bronx that ushered in a brief obsession with Uggs. Plus, musings on the "fast girls" from a certain all-girls' school who still occupy an indelible place in the imagination (for a certain subsect of Manhattan girls who were 12-14 around 2009). What did Blair Waldorf, seen in birds-eye view from the Spence staircase, do to our lexicons and capacity for kindness? Hervé Leger at Temple Emanu-El? Ninth graders at Riff Raff (rip)? Sure, why not!

But ages 12 and up at Spence were not all bad, it turns out. The saving grace was namely the dance program's welcome overhaul under the fearless direction of Mr. Redacted and his leather bracelets. The image of sixth graders throbbing in a pile to the beat of Ramalama (Bang Bang) on the Symphony Space stage will stand the test of time. We speak to former Spence dancer and our dear friend Elizabeth, who says the beloved Mr. Redacted brought joy and laughter to her adolescence while normalizing queerness within the school for the first time.