 Tim O Banyan is the school s janitor. Thinking that Tim is hiding a dog in the janitor s room in the basement of the school, Doris, Bruno and Danny investigate. What they find is that Tim is harboring more than Clumpy the dog, but Clumpy s owner, Birdie Whelan. Tim and Birdie were professional rivals during their younger years, more precisely dance rivals, but are now best friends. Burdened with medical expenses stemming from a broken hip, Birdie was kicked out of his apartment for failing to pay rent, and since Tim s apartment didn t allow pets, Birdie moved into the school s basement. Tim and Birdie s long term plan is to raise another $3,000 to buy a trailer in which to live. Word of Tim and Birdie s situation quickly spreads amongst the student body, with Julie coming up with an idea of holding a benefit. They have to keep the fact of the benefit quiet from the teachers. Elizabeth does find out about it, and is afraid that the students who participate will be expelled since it is against school guidelines. Raising money for a school board employee, even a janitor, could be seen as a bribe. But Elizabeth and Lydia try and turn a blind eye to the benefit, while expressing their concerns to the students. Looking for a creative way around the rule, the students come up with the idea of holding the benefit not for Tim, and even not for Birdie, but for Clumpy. Meanwhile, ping-pong shark Mr. Shorofsky is taking on all comers with glee in crushing his opponents. Lydia thinks she has a match for Mr. Shorofsky in the form of Mrs. Peyton-Smythe. Mr. Shorofsky thinks she ll be just another walk in the park, until he meets her: she is a Chinese national, the Chinese renowned for their ping-pong prowess. She crushes him.