Invisible Schools

7/29/2019 Invisible Schools

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INVISIBLESCHOOLS

Ms. BessiaEuoean Lite

Classes - 20


2/16

Aboutthe

ProjectThis project, Invisible Schools, is based on Italo Calvinos novel InvisibleIt was done as a class project at Durham Academy by Ms. Bessias sect

English 10: Literature of Western Europe. To prepare for this project, we

Sir Ken Robinsons animated lecture, Changing Educational Paradigms

discussed the dynamic nature of school in the context of the digital revol

We each wrote a description of a possible school following Calvinos co

possible cities

In Invisible Cities, the Venetian traveler Marco Polo describes different c

the emperor Kublai Khan. His accounts are brief and highly imaginative.

Calvino, we created a frame story and tried to use vivid imagery in our d

tions. The schools in this collection differ in many respects, including arc

time period, and purpose. Each was written by a different student.

The purpose of this publication is to present our visualizations of schools

dont yet exist--or do they?

4

Compiled and Designed by Derek Brown

Cover Art by Lily Burdick

Inside Cover by Claire Burdick

Project organized by Christine Bessias


3/16

tAbLeoFcoNteNtSSls and tim

Autodidacte

Sls and od

UnmperiaJednota Academy

on Dimnsinal Sls

NuageSAniaDux

I caravelScholasticus AcademiaSportivo Academy

Sls f Pysialiy

KleurAlgomaMipaka

Sls f Flings

Cavati SchoolCognatioParadise

Sls f cas

Dezod

Sls f cang

Repeating SchoolsMutatioSchool o Ulysses Samuel SmithTomas H. EdwardsZared

Sls f rlainsips

Vitatus

Armelio AcademySolidariet

theStorYAnd so we were called to a summit by the Minister of Education, to scour

the education systems in other Nations.Anyone who had experience in education was invited to this summit, and

most answered the call.

You all have been called here as scouts for the future of the worlds new-

est nation and its education system.

Each one of you have been assigned a school to observe. Go now and ex-

plore these other worlds of education,

and bring back what you have observed in six months time.

Many months passed, six months to be exact, and the summit had been

called once again, but this time, knowledge fowed around the room, as we

all shared small stories with each other. Four people were to a table, andthe rows extended for hundreds of feet in each direction. Discussions be-

tween scouts had already been happening for quite some time before the

Minister stepped in. At the front of the room sat the Minister and his board.

They were on an elevated platform, seated on brown leather chairs with

brass arms. There was only one woman on the board, but she blended right

in with their dark pin-striped suits- the only thing missing from her was a

golden tie with a thick windsor knot. Our Nations emblem was mounted

above them, a golden wreath with a simple rose in the middle. The room

had a golden feel to it, which as all of us knew was the aura that knowledge

created. After the board had settled in and opened their briefcases, the Min-

ister addressed us.

Alright everyone, please take your seats and quiet down. Our nation does

not cease to grow, and so we must be swift with our stories so that our na-

tions youth can start to learn to their full capabilities. Each of you will now

have a chance to share your stories about the schools you visited.

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4/16

Iene Wallen

SCHOOLS AND TIME

Unlike the others, I am here to tell merely o a work in progress. Upon my arrival at my assigned school in Japan, I realizedthat the school was not nished yet. A woman came out o the huge white building and explained to me the purpose o thisschool that was under construction. It is cl early time to take the leap completely into the technological era, she said to me,

and ocus our energy on removing the need to ocus our energy much at all. Right now, (the Learning Facility)is not open to the public, but rather is being used as a lab where enginee rs like mysel are developing and improving themost advanced educational technology in the world as we speak. Soon, most daily activities as we know them will be doneby electronic means, and this school will be Japans rst step in that direction. We expect that within the next ew decades,the Learning Facility will be up and running in the manner that I shall describe to you, and will continue to be improved aswe urther our technological understanding. She then proceeded to tell me about the school as it will be:

Te Learning Facility is one gigantic building, and, when it is rst opened in the morning, it consists o just one enor-mous, expansive room containing nothing but endless rows o chairs. Troughout the day, hovercras y into the parkinglot, dri to the ground, and come to a slow stop. Students emerge and head inside or a day o work. Tey do not carr y anymaterials with them. When a student sits down in one o the thousands o chairs, thick dividers rise up out o the oor,orming walls around them. Now, the students have their own personal, soundproo classroom.

A greenish hologram screen appears in midair beore the student, resembling the screen o the physical computers used bystudents decades ago. When a student has rst arrived, their screen simply shows a list o the students assignments or thatweek, depending on the classes that they are enrolled in. Assignments that have been completed and turned in via the slotin each classrooms wall are checked o on the list. Each student may work on their weekly assignments at their own paceand in their desired order, provided that all o the weeks assignments are submitted by midnight on Saturday. A keyboardslides out o the wall in ront o the student, and when the student types, the words are displayed on the holographic screen.

Te real revolutionary aspect o the Learning Facility is the way in which the students learn the inormation necessary tocomplete their assignments quickly and efciently. We have developed the most advanced computer soware programs inthe world, centered around the simple idea o drilling only the most essential acts o each school subject into ones brainand then reinorcing that knowledge, much like the at-home language-learning soware used in previous decades thatallowed one to learn a language in one year rather than learning it throughout all o their years at school. Granted, thoseprograms did not help one ully understand, but simply taught them the adequate amount or their purposes. Tis is exact-ly our aim or the Learning Facility.

While our methods o learning are not difcult, the entire process is quite repetitive and still requires dedication every day.Students may come and go as they wish, but it is critical that they complete their assignments on time in order to progressthrough the grade levels quickly and graduate rom the school. I assignments are not completed on time, the student ispunished by being held in the Facility until the assignments are completed. I the student ails to complete their late assign-ments within twenty-our hours, they must appear in court. Aer all, we must hold the students to high standards in order

to cultivate adequate minds and produce enough graduates each year to maintain the precariously unctional economy.

Clearly, in order or our methods to work, we must orce the student to develop a strong work ethic. We also must orcethe student to give up their sense o individuality while at the Learning Facility. Our methods are entirely standardized andmemorization-basedthere is no creative aspect. I the student wishes to express their creativity, they may do so on theirown time.

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AUTODIDACChelsea Levesedge

SCHOOLS AND TIME

For a long time, the School called Autodidacte was alive. Its circular buwere abuzz with childrens voices calling out to each other rom classrooms. D

were in a circle, blackboards and colourul posters promoting learning liningwalls. A teacher at the podium stood eagerly answering and debating with thdents, learning rom them while teaching. Lunch was eaten outside; girls gigrom the playground while boys threw a ball. A school never seemed so alive

I went back to Autodidacte a ew months later, wanting to show the peschool to the emperor. But, the happy school I had known had disappeared. Tground in the courtyard was rusted, a breeze occasionally rocked the creakinback and orth. Te childrens voices I had once heard were replaced with theical hum o machinery, unwavering and omnipresent, emanating rom each osmall buildings. Te benches once littered with coats and backpacks were nowand abandoned or the machines inside the classrooms.

Desks were now in straight rows, a piece o shiny machinery on each oworn wood, seeming out o place. Each was now identical, showing no sign oality; even the penciled doodles that had been engraved in the wood had beeover. Backpacks that leaned up against the thin metal legs were gone, replacejust a cell phone or jacket. Students were huddled over the machines, learninthe computer instead o through their community. Te room seemed strainestudent silent, eager to ulll their Daily Learning Amount: as soon as they they could leave.

Te schools uture had destroyed it. Te lie had been sucked rom the schoo

placed by what the new learning standard, said to be the best in the country.to keep the rst Autodidacte in my memory though, to remember the abundlie and learning I saw there. But its impossible. Now I see the rusted playgropainted over doodles. Each student eager to leave. Te rst Autodidacte is losplace the standardized school, expressionless.


5/16

JEDNOTA ACADEHank Tucke

SCHOOLS AND ORDER

Everybody has the same role there, the same responsibility, to help keep the school alive. Tedivision between aculty, sta, and students, but whether this is good or bad is up to us to judgreat, renowned institution o learning that people call Jednota Academy is unlike any other

have heard about here, in that every teacher is a student, and every student is a teacher. You mheard other schools mention the precious statistic o student to teacher ratio, but no institutimatch Jednotas 1:1, as students and teachers are one and the same. How does this work, youTe answer is not as ar-etched as it may seem. Children in this community are groomed royoung age to be experts in a certain eld o study. All day, every day, or as long as it takes, thabout this subject and this subject only. When these children are deemed geniuses in this peld, they begin to teach one class on it. Once they reach this phase o their development, thcome students o other subjects as well. Tey teach their one class, and then classes on the otll their schedule or the rest o the day. Once again, these subjects are not rushed, as the ovegoal is or them to attain a genius level o knowledge almost on par with their knowledge othey teach. O course, they will a lways be more gied at their teaching subject, as teaching rethe knowledge that ones mind contains. B ecause o this, all teachers you have heard about arstudents in other classes, but students o their own class as well.

You may already be thinking about how this can lead to a tangled web o relationships that uleads to a more benecial learning experience. Oentimes a student may learn rom a teachebut at the same time be this teachers teacher in other class. Tis leads to a great exchange o tion, with each p erson possessing knowledge that the other needs, providing a strong peer-bucation. Tere is no rigid student to teacher relationship as there may be in other educationabecause everybody is a student o others, and others are students o them. Nobody is in a poshigher authority than another. Tis means that every relationship as a whole cannot be descrsimple phrase like student to teacher or parent to child. Everyone is simultaneously learniand teaching others every single day.

Tis seems to be an ideal system, but through all the good aspects, one group is orgotten. Chgoing through the original phase, the phase that the system hinges upon, the phase where thlearning to eventually be teachers o a subject, are the only ones that are students but not teac

time period is very hard on a young child, who may not have the attention span to ocus on tsubject or an extended p eriod o time. Tere is so much classroom time that imagination anis taken away rom these children at a young age. Robbing the children o a proper, happy chalarming, to say the least, to everyone involved. Much deliberation has been made on this prno solution has been ound. Aer all, it only ta kes one loose cannon to make the ragile systeand crumble.

UNMpErIA ACADEMYDeek Bown

SCHOOLS AND ORDER

Te memory o my school, Unmperia High, is now nothing less than a sickly shadow. Te cav-ernous hallways and constant noise o progress are nothing but a conusing blur led in yearslong gone. For me, what has remained at the apogee o my experience has been the multiplicitiesI ormed with those around me.

I was six, close to seven, sitting in the back o a classroom. A teacher, as generic as the rest, un-leashed a gusty wind, blowing the students toward the objective o knowledge. I walked thetwo blocks to my house aer school, glad to see birds, trees and cars. Tey were the only respiteto my dreary existence. Tat day, I returned to a rantic household. Tey uttered phrases aboutthe cooperative convergence o subjects and the proletarian management o production, themeaning o which I would not ully understand until a summer day almost een years later.

It was a week beore I emerged rom the ront door o my house on my trek to school. Tistime, a slim man in an orange sweater vest announced to the students that they would be ableto determine their own path. Tat the principles o no child le behind had been replaced with

every child to their potential. For me, this was a paradise. I was no longer towing the barge omy classmates; I sailed happily in the calm breezes. I remembered this time as a shimmering sea,as my passions returned rom years o exile. But, the ships around me did not bare the same ateas I. My classmates were blown ashore by laziness, their loves o art and music: truly unt to bemembers o the postmodern posse. Over the ensuing months I progressed, Unmperia hightransormed into the A-School; the regal halls o which emanated a breadth o academia. What Ilost, too, would take me years to understand. In my haste or the betterment o the multitude, Ihad orgotten my childhood, a price I daily pay.

Unmperia imagines a school under the self-governing principles of Te Multitude, envisioned byHardt and Negri from my truly limited understanding of their works.

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6/16

NUAGEClaie Budick

ONE DIMENSIONAL SCHOOLS

Te school in the sky, Nuage, is very dierent rom any other normal school. Each buildingis gold and oats on a white cloud. Te clouds are connected with silver bridges. Te stu-

dents can jump rom cloud to cloud and oat through the air. It never rains on this schoolbecause it is above the rainclouds. Te sun always is shining on the silver and gold, makingthe school shimmer all o the time. Te school was built and started in Belgium, but it moveswith the clouds and the wind, so the students never know where they are headed or wherethey will end up at the end o the day. Every student looks orward to going down the goldladder at the end o the day to see where in the world they are.

Tere are always hundreds o birds at the school. Tey land there when they pass by. Dozenso dierent kinds o birds land on the school, depending where it is. It can dicult to ndthe school sometimes, especially when there has been a storm or a lot o wind. Te studentscan always nd their way back, however, even i they are a little late. Te golden ladderstands out wherever it is, so it is easy to see. However, the students do not have to climb allthe way up into the clouds, the ladder moves up to the school once they are on it.

During the breaks in the school day, the students can jump rom cloud to cloud and runacross the silver swinging bridges. Te students can not all o o their school because acloud always catches them. All o the kids really love their school and they always have agood time. Tey learn a lot, not just rom their classes, but rom traveling the world andexperiencing everything that they can. Nuage is a very good school and the everyone whoknows about it wishes they could go. Kids all over the world would like to go to school morei they went to a school like Nuage.

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SATJames Daubet


Here is your assignment, explore ar away kingdoms, and nd out how other places run their schoolMinister o Education.

So I set out on a journey. My lie has in a way restarted, and I am going back to school, as a young stu

will relive my education. My lie in education was not entirely over, but my exploration o dierent sover. I now shall recount my experience, to you, ellow scouts, and Mr. Minister.

I came to the gates o a large building complex aer a long walk through evergreen orests, busy towerts, and even the occasional open prairie. It is not a simple task to gain access to Satinia. Te traveleseries o questions, on paper, while seated in a small square building just outside Satinias walls. Te wtop o the page read, Fill in the whole bubble, or receive no credit. Te traveler learns i he has gainedweeks later, and i he has, then this is what he will see. Te gates open to the school and he sees squaings, all uniorm, all the same. Te sky is blue, with the occasional cloud, but all clouds are stopped ainvisible orce. He watches his eet as he walks and see awlessly shaped cement squares surroundedhe aims a magniying glass at the oliage he observes the ollicles o a green creature, all standing upslouching. He looks into a classroom to see students, about the age o eight. Tey do not look up likeexpect them to regard a strange visitor, rather they keep ipping the pages: all in time. Pencils scratchbubbles meticulously. He enters and still draws no attention rom the thinkers. An old man wearing uniorm as the kids is seated at the ront o the room. His appearance is uncannily similar to the child

teacher, just like the children, does not dget when he enters, and does not even acknowledge his prebut the traveler are wearing white shirts, and plaid pants, tucked in with a black belt. He suddenly haization that the children are mirror images o one another. In appearance, in intelligence, in all ways.registers, aer seeing this army o intellectual clones, that he would like to retain his status as a travelon his way. He exits swily and never returns.Outside the walls o Satinia the traveler gazes toward the blue and sees that the clouds are at on oneschools boundaries keep them out, and so they press against the imaginary wall, but cannot pass. Trejected access, or they do not maintain a regular shape, not standard, and the only shape allowed incircle being lled in.

Is that the only school that you visited then, Ibrahim? And what are you suggesting? Tis type o scsomething that our nation should have? said the Minister.

No, as I said, the traveler, me, exits swily. Tis is the rst o many schools that I visited. And yes, I dthat this school is a good example o what a school in our nation should ever be like. I you would lik

going? I said.

Please.

So I went on, speaking o my reeducation. When I was experiencing this school I was young too, jusstudents. Or at least, in mentality and at heart.


7/16

DUXLeo Gafnowit


ell me Rimorus, when you arrived in America, did they greet you with kindness, or with xe-nophobia and hatred? Te American people are known to be a narrow minded demographic.Zacharias asked me, although he thought he already knew the answer, he is a somewhat conceit-ed ruler. Although, to his credit, he was the one who came up with the idea o sending dignitar-ies to America to explore the root o success in that country, and the one to realize that the keyto the success o our new and emerging country, is education. As his most trusted advisor, myassignment was to visit an elite, private school on the East Coast o the United States o America,called Dux.

Actually sir I retorted. Te greeting I received was one o pure and true hospitality. Te chil-dren and the teachers at all the schools I visited were very open to my presence, and very help-ul.

For seven hours every day, these children are imprisoned in a orced education camp. Althoughthe children hate the camp, they bond with their ellow prisoners, and orm a sense o commu-

nity. Tey orm a relationship based around the camp, and spend time with each other and blowrelease their stress together. Te atmosphere at these places is strange. It seems like they are ina constant state o chaos, yet everything about them is so organized, rom the schedule o theteachers and sta, to the rules that all members o the community must ollow. As previouslystated, the schools do orm a sense o community, whether it is among the students or amongthe teachers and other sta. Part o this seems to be the common enemy. For the students thisis o course the work which occupies so much o their time and provides constant stress, ando course the teachers or assigning the work. For the teachers, its the students, who tend to bedisrespectul, and do not complete their work. When the teachers are not around, the studentsmake jokes about them, some more than the others, and in the teachers will punish studentsstrictly when they are disrespectul or are late to class. Te relationship between aculty and stais a touchy one, because both are irritated by the other, but both rely on each other. Te key tothe relationship, especially or the students, is buckling down, and ocusing on the uture and the

positives that will come. Te teachers can punish the kids all they want, but they cannot orcethe children to work, that is why their primary job is to inspire the students to WAN to do thework. Tis is the key to the success o our country, inspiration or the children.

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I CArAVJackson Dellinge


Te Minister o Education called my name and I teetered up onto the stage, leaving the trio o riemade on my journey behind at our table. Although I had been pondering how to describe my assigned schoarrived at the summit, the words I wanted to say wriggled rom my grasp like a greased pig. As soon as I hadthe memories would deliver a swi kick to the gut, squeal, and ee. I couldnt describe the school because onature. Each student I talked to at I Caravel painted the school a dierent color, and, by the time I le, my eschool were an emotional Jackson Pollock. Unsure o what would tumble rom my lips, I began to recount thbeen told to the audience.

Te rst student I talked to clung to I Caravel the like a newborn to her mother. She considered tthe epitome o perection. Careully laid red bricks carve the orest, she said, but the school doesnt eclipsenatural beauty. Having never seen beyond the schools gates, she also held its academic standards in high estschool is Americas ivory tower. We have the reedom to live untroubled and happy here. Beore I could talkhowever, she slipped back into the ensembles o starched shirts, pressed pants, and powdered cheeks that amthe schools doors every morning.

My next interviewee was not so complimentary. Te rst student I talked to had been raised in cathis man had run in the scholastic prairies beyond I Caravels walls. o him, I Caravel was constraining. Tespit on the red brick, he said and the school dominates the woods around it. Even worse, he continued, eis araid to live. Starched shirts and pressed pants promote an unpleasant uniormity. Where I want a rainbois a dismal brown. o a certain extent, I agreed with him. Walking through the woods each night I got the eetrees would punish me or standing out. Looking at the students more closely, each resembled a cog-lled auall had polished and glossy exteriors, but underneath they were only inhuman and uniorm gadgetry. Althoudents raised in the school since birth dont know it, theyve been brought up scared.

On my last day at I Caravel, I had lunch with a graduate. en years had passed since he graduatedand although he still sauntered into the restaurant in a starched Polo and pressed Khakis, his smile wasnt jushis ace. Sure the bricks were lthy, he said, we always brushed the dirt o sooner or later though. Whenabout his past classmates, he responded lucidly. Looking back, we walked through a sea o bullets each day aAvarice, scorn, materialism, and jealousy couldve easily blown a hole in one o our legs. Miraculously, howevout unscathed.

Addressing you all now, I si de with the gr aduate. Te schools curse is that it chains its students to conormyears o living in shackles, some kids can still come out with the ability to hold their heads high. Pride rests oder o each lucky graduate, while nobility rests on the other. Although I still detest the woods, which were alwover my shoulder, and the starched shirts and pressed pants, essentially tailored muzzles or the students, somwill miss the schools halls.

Air nally lled my lungs when my presentation was over. I returned to my table to sit with my riends. Tstudents I had talked to rom I Caravel had elected to travel with me to the summit and s ee what I had to sayschool, and now sat with me. Te girl remained nonchalant, oblivious to the critique I had just given to I Cascowled as he always did. I took no heed o him because he scowled perpetually. Te graduate tacitly signalewith a nearly imperceptible nod. Content, I sat down among the trio and reocused my attention on the presthe lectern.


8/16

SCHOLASTICUS ACADEMIAreena Sudan


Scholasticus Academia, the school o real-world education, is comprised o rich Gothic style architecture,with elaborate ying buttresses that enlarge and ampliy each room, stain-glass windows that illuminatethe rooms with a multitude o colors and bright rays o light, and pointed arches that resonate the enthu-

siasm or an extensive pursuit o k nowledge. Te cacophony o the architecture secludes the s chool romthe bustling o t he surrounding city. Te students voices are modulated so as not to interrupt the concen-tration o the other students, which, in addition with the s eclusion, creates a thriving intellectual settingrather than a systematic institution.

Te school is completely merit and ability based, with no age barriers. Tere are trimesters with nal proj-ects that discern i the student is apt to advance to the next diculty level. Each student invents a projecto his or her choosing to demonstrate a sound understanding o the knowledge acquired during that tri-mester. Te students learn about the economy, government, politics, environment, history, critical think-ing and reasoning, yet these are only a ew o the many real-world subjects and applications that composethe oundation o the curriculum in Scholasticus Academia. Each individual is encouraged to pursue theirown interests and express themselves in a plethora o ways, which sparks excitement and osters the indi-

vidual desire to achieve the highest standard o excellence.

When walking through the tall, bright halls, i you g lance into the classrooms, you will oen see studentsmeticulously working together and encouraging each other to think critically and analyze. Te teachersits in the back o the room, silently observing while the students attempt to complete a task with little tono guidance. Tus, the students are orced, through reason, to analyze and interpret a problem and nd asolution. Te individuals thrive in each small group, resulting in many innovative and independent think-ers. For example, I saw one classroom with the question, What is morality? written on the board. All othe students actively engaged in a comprehensive and reective deliberation by challenging the existingphilosophic ideals.

Te students who attend S cholasticus Academia are, thereore, not a product o the usual systematic ed-ucation system, but rather are those that are capable o challenging the existing paradigms o individuals,society, and the world as a whole. Tey seek to nd explanations as to why there is corruption, conict,and oppression. Tese questions provoked my own thought, and I questioned, What is the nature o theworld around us?

I bandied with a couple ideas o how the independent and small group studies lead to such proound cu-riosity, and it was clear that such a loy and ideal learning environment augmented the students passionor this pursuit o knowledge. Te world needs more people who have such innate abilities, so we need tocreate a school in our new nation that would produce the best thinkers; we need a school like S cholasticusAcademia.

15

SpOrTIVO ACADEJustin Chang


At Sportivo Academy, the important hours o day are not the ones spent in the classroothe ew that come aer; the hours o hard work on the elds, in the gyms, and on the cNo, this school is not or students, but or athletes. What attracted my eye at the rst sschool were the various million-dollar acilities. Tey are visible rom every classrooming the students why they are actually at this school. Te elds are always kept in theirthe white spray paint marking the lines is always so resh you can smell it. Te so turkept trimmed and leaess. Te large, tall lights are always ready to shine or a night bagiant scoreboard stands on the edge. Rumor has it that no away team has been able to even a 1 on the scoreboard or their team. Te gym is the prized possession, with a shished oor, and countless banners o championships and undeeated seasons hang on ings and walls o the gym, motivating teams to hang a new banner, and reminding thelegacies they must continue. Te gym and the elds have stands and seats all around thto hold a high capacity o loud, wild, raging ans.

Everything at this school is centered around athletics. You can see that all o the stude

wearing their team apparel and school colors. You can see that the riend groups are bthe teams, changing every season. You can see that the only thing talked about betweedents are about practices and games. Even the curriculum and schedule o the classes around the athletic schedule. Less homework is given on game days, and no tests are sthe day aer game days. Tere are teachers at the school during the school day, but athese teachers are nowhere to be ound on the planet, and they are replaced by coacheawully like the teachers themselves.

Sometimes, you nd it hard to tell the dierence between this school and a church. Trivals are treated like the devil. Tey are rarely talked about, but i the topic comes up, tive statements are made. Te coaches are the priests, the playbooks are the bibles, andcot is the cross. I visited the school twice. Te rst time was the day aer a championsone o the teams; it was sunny and warm, and the whole day was lled with joy and ex

Te other day I visited, it was cloudy and drizzling, and the mood was melancholy ando the teams lost the day beore.Te school is certainly one-dimensional, as it is just ocused on one thing. But is it tooTe school may have even surpassed one-dimensional, and the crazy thought o a halsional school seems to become more real.


9/16

Dylan Lukes


changes its students: they emerge rom it physically stronger and mentally sharper. Beore they enter theschool o they are happy, un, and social. When they leave they are still happy most o the time, but look

at the world dierently. Tey now view the world as black and white, legal vs. illegal. Tere are no shades o grey,and they are more serious about everything they do. Some have nick-named it Te Dish-washer. Even thoughthey do not know what happens in there, outsiders assume it is extraodinarily boring and depressing due to theresults o the scholars actions aer they return, thus the name o Washing Dishes was brought about.

During my visit to I was hoping to unobtrusively observe the goings-on and make my visit short and sweetbut that was not to be. Aer only two steps into the school, I was immediately put behind a desk and computerto study books about laws and previous crimes, I had no clue as to why I was reading these but some were inter-esting so I continued. Aer a ew days o reading and studying solidly with no orm o communication betweenstudents, we were locked into individual testing rooms no bigger than a closet until we nished a test on thematerial we had been studying. Te test was long and horrible. When I nished I walked out and saw everyonemilling about. We were waiting, but waiting or what?

Soon we were accosted by a man in military atigues and were told to ollow him. I was mentally drained. I hadentered the school wanting to learn more about , to take notes, and to report back, and I had been imme-

diately thrown into exhaustive days o studying and now was being led to what, I was not sure. I was mentallydrained and looking or a way out. Tat was not to happen. We were running and running. People were allingall around me as the run continued on or what seemed like hours. Something told me not to all, although I didnot know what happened to those who did not nish. We nally got to stop. I wanted to collapse, but we werethen led through sit-up, pull-ups, chin-ups. I had no idea what this was leading toward, but I got in a zone andcontinued on. I had no thoughts anymore. I had gone beyond what I thought my body and mind could endure.Tat night when all I wanted to do was sleep, the ocer came in and told us we had to do an obstacle course totrain or our physical exam in one week. Te course was brutal, not only was I not asleep and resting or the nextday o training, everyone had to run through a vigorous obstacle course. Te next day was not as bad because itwas a range day, where all the students went to the gun range and had target practice, but we were warned thatthis was the only un day o the week. Te ew o us who were still standing at the end o the week were beat up,tired, sore, and not at all ready or the test. o me, the act that I was still standing, should have meant I passedthe test, but.... Somewhere deep inside me, I ound the strength to prove to them, whoever them was, that Icould not be broken, and I continued because I wanted to get out o this inerno.

I graduated with 30 others and was handed a badge and gun. I was not at all ready or this, it was a training acad-emy, and I did not even want any o this training. I turned down the badge and equipment and le the school o

.

17

KLEAlina Walling

SCHOOLS OF PHYSICALITY

At the school o Kleur, with every change o night to day did color ade to grey. I remember the rst mhad arrived: the sun had barely licked the hills beore mobs o children ocked towards the center oanimals to a watering hole. Curious as to the cause o the commotion, I ollowed. Tey congregated

square building with concrete walls so piercing white they could be seen even in the dim light o suner, I could not understand what possessed these children to gather here, or the structure was boringit was the white crayon in the 120 color crayon box. Only later did I understand its purpose as an edusystem. Slowly the kids began to le in, and by the time the sun had appeared rom beyond the horizempty outside.

Inside was a dierent story. I saw a gradient o aces rom girls with rosy cheeks to boys with an elecgaze. Each child was a dierent hue, and the plain room burst with more vibrancy in their voices thao their clothes. Except, just as the building had, the adults dressed in white stuck out like a sore thumsilenced the kids and ordered them to rooms labeled with their specic color groups. I could taste thness that lled the air as they were dragged away rom their riends and orced into groups without th

I hovered around the room where the shades o blue were sorted, peering in through the small winddoor. Te adults mercilessly strapped the squealing and squirming children down in chairs. Tey theto the corners o the room and put shades over their eyes. I didnt understand why until I orced my e

avoid being blinded by a light coming rom the room. Squinting now, I saw that many o the kids hadreaction, except they were prevented rom keeping their eyes shut and told that they must not shy awLight o Knowledge. From every room or every color came a brilliant light ollowed by helpless criely, the cries subsided as the children learned to sit passively and absorb the Light o Knowledge that rom above.

It wasnt until sunset when it nally ickered o. Te kids were released but not reed. Each was testetheir shade had been adequately dulled to match the correct shade; those whose hue was o remainesun ades laundry on the line, their dazzling colors no more did shine. No longer was I met with inneven their eyes once bright had lost their luster.

Every day these children returned, growing older and wiser; every day they le desaturated. Years pasoon, they were nothing more than a mix o grey. No matter how hard I concentrated, I couldnt dieyellows rom the purples, the reds rom the greens. None interacted with one another anymore; I hada crowd so alone.

I grabbed an older boy by his shoulder and turned him to ace me. You once radiated red yet now emat all. For what cause? I asked.

All I have learned is that my education has made me grey. Figure out or yoursel i we should learn was all he replied.


10/16

ALGOMAFaith C.


It was early in the morning when I noticed that the sun kissed this place dierently than any other. Iwas driven here by an illusion o perection that was created by the rays o sun. Te architecture wasgrand. I approached the door with two large pillars, carved rom marble, on either side o me.

I hadnt seen a building like this. Te students presence is not like others that grace an institution.Te gleam in their eyes presents to me a slight dierence, and suddenly I was surrounded by alarge crowd. I did not have to wait to be enguled in their demeanor. I was not prepared to be over-whelmed, but I was.

Tis school was not like the others anyway. Tey did not wake up early and go rom class to classlearning the set lessons. Some came and went throughout the day, a pattern o learning and leaving.Students were not grouped by age but level in skill and interest. It diered rom the average school, asthere were no set classes. Students chose their own based on their curiosity and attraction.

Bells did not ring, eet did not drag and moans were only heard occasionally- but silenced, or thelaughter overcame it. Hands were always busy, eyes always ocused and partnership was inevitable.

Tey all cherished the conversations with each other, discussing intellectual things and plans or theuture. Tey challenged each other to think divergently. Tere was no voice to reprimand them or todemand rom them.

Tere was no assembly line in place, or they were not robots clinking and clanking while tramplingover each other, but more like dancers and musicians. Te ballerinas danced graceully, choreo-graphing every move with each other making the perect piece. Every musician possessed dierentstrengths and patterns; all approach the same piece ready to master what they have, every instrumenttuned, every dancer poised. Each note played and every step, intertwined with a passion, burned sodeeply the notes grew louder and the eet o the dancers hit the mark harder than beore and together-- there was a crescendo. Yet there is no teacher or instructor, only the dancers, only the musicians inharmony. Tey are not machines, but individuals with a dierent dance and a dierent song.

But this school has not created dancers, or musicians. Tey were virtuosos, skilled in success. Teywere not indecisive or lieless vessels with no means driving them, nor were they prisoners o thisinstitution. Tere was no bickering, no orm o mischie, so close to perection. I could not say much,I could only observe. Tey were preparing themselves or the uture ahead.

19

MIpAKA (LIMIAaon Theien


Kiongozi, here we are, on the verge o greatness. Do you not realize this? Tose words I must have countless occasions beore. Te moving man motionless in ront o me replied, with no sense o exasYes, I do. Greatness is the only goal worth seeking. Not only greatness in ones work, but in ones sel

ing how to apply it to the people around you, responded the powerully tall, dark-skinned man, whoin ront o me. He then ollowed up his statement, knowing the answer I wanted to hear, not just somophies. Tis school we are building must be this compelling goal, that everyone must contribute theNow, you are not here merely to hear me ramble on, tell me more o your travels. How do we build aschool? Which school are you going to tell me about that you have visited? Little did Kiongozi knowon my travels I gained a grasp o idealistic values, my own philosophies. But it is a work in progress

I Mipaka is a school in the midst o construction or destruction, I cannot say. Seeing as very ew thihalway nished, it seems more likely that this school is in ruins. Mipaka is as lieless as a desert. Notto be heard, not even a whisper o the wind. Barren, normally I would not have been welcome to othabout me, but at this time I would have liked to be reassured I was not alone. A eeling o hopelessnesing, sending chills to the bones, something no man should ever experience, overcame me.

Despite being uninhabited, this school, nevertheless, has classrooms with no roos and doors; buildinrooms with nothing more than the walls that bring destruction upon their ull potential. Te only ev

learning could ever take place are the desks and the chairs in what are supposed to be classrooms. I call these places classrooms is a whole new story Te classrooms are emotionless: a dull grey, no teno accessories, no evidence that anyone has set oot in it, and a chalkboard mimicking and mocking everything that surrounds it.

Mipakas classrooms open up to the sky, a reminder o what is possible and just out o reach; a standalays the basis o all Mipakas desires; but also the limit o what is possible and real; and yet her stairs smust or could have been or will be another adventure or the school, a threshold on which everythintiently, biding time.

O Mipakas rooms I see that there are common walls between them, common links or a greater purthere will always be those who do believe. Te ignorance imbibed in people who never see the big pi

Mipakas classrooms have doors always open; a welcoming sign o sincerity. But there will always be twant doors to keep out the noise. An excuse to maintain ocus, but the act remains nothing is enter

doors are closed.

Mipaka: the blueprint or the school on the brink o greatness, an idea engraved in its very being. Tcome when it will usher in a new era o learning. Even on that day Mipaka will orever be in ruins, wthe passage o time, however to itsel time is an illusion. Since nothing ever changes it, it can never re


11/16

CAVATI SCHOOLAmanda M.

SCHOOLS OF FEELINGS

Cavati holds no secrets, no mysteries. Its qualities are quite easy to explain, and it should be held as anexample o what not to do or our new nation. Tis report o Cavati should be taken with caution, andshould warn our new nation o the dangers o such a labor-intensive school system.

Everyone in the surrounding area o the Irish countryside is aware o this schools presence. Tey all k nowwhat Cavati is, and none o them want anything to do with it. Te rules are strict and unrelenting: no un,no days o, no reedom. Te students work until all o the papers, essays, projects, and assignments aredone. Tere are no such things as weekends, holidays, breaks, or vacations and the students only get to seetheir amilies once a year. Work is done in silence and on pen and paper; no technology is used, as it couldbe a window to the outside world, a peek at lie, and a break rom captivity. Creativity is suppressed andsocial interactions are kept to a minimum. Extracurricular activities are non-existent. All o these aspectso school lie were swept up with the schools thirst or academic perection- nothing can distract rom thisunattainable goal. Te building lives in a depressing atmosphere and the students have a lot o pressureput on them to succeed, and to attend the top universities. Te childrens never-ending work load leads toheadaches, as well as mental and physical exhaustion as a result o their endless studying.

Te irony is that everyone, except or their parents, knows o the struggles that the students endure. Te

parents are the only ones with the power to pull them out o the conning academic torture o the school,and yet they are the most oblivious. Tey are caught up in their executive jobs, no time to pay attention tothe children they birthed and raised and were supposed to love. Tey assume they are doing well becausethey are under the care o the boarding school. No mind is paid to these children, besides the generoustuition check paid to the school each year.

Te Cavati School is a melancholic place, isolated in the deep woods o t he country outside the city oDublin. It oozes a dark, ominous vibe which drains all o the energy that enters into it. Te scene is paint-ed entirely in shades o black and grey, all lie sucked out o the school. Te walls absorb the happiness othe souls who step into its sullen rooms. All o the sounds are monotonous and mufed, and the constantbuzz o the A/C unit is all that is heard throughout the day, besides a ew whispers here and there. Noth-ing exciting ever happens, and talking is rare. Te students were never told not to talk, but they dont dueto ear o what may happen i they were to say something. Te situation o the s chool is not healthy andit contains an atmosphere that is prison-like; no one is allowed in, save the students, and the students

are certainly not allowed out. Learning should be an opportunity or growth and improvement- here it isneither. It is a punishment, torture, a nightmare that is reality. Te thick cement walls separate joy romsorrow, reedom rom captivity, and the beauty o resh air rom the stale, overly air-conditioned rooms othe school. I you are a student at Cavati, youre alive, but you arent really living.

21

COGNATGei Williamson

SCHOOLS OF FEELINGS

When I was asked to t hink o a school, one that really stood out was the school o Cogthought o it as the school o wildre, everyone seemed to be linked together with thetions. Te school is small, with only around 300 people attending. Everyone knows evthe atmosphere elt extremely comortable as I arrived at the ront. It was an old lookimade entirely out o bricks. Passing through, I could hear the hustle and bustle o whalike a regular schools daily activities. Students laughing and talking with one another, catching up and having some coee during break, parents giving a kiss on the oreheachildren head o or their day at school. Te amily o Cognatio really seemed to maksphere seem warm and comortable. Not saying that it is perect, or i one tiny problethe entire school goes down in ames. It starts with a bad comment, a oul mood, a nature, and turns into something more. Te spirit o the school turns instantly rom cheeand joy to gloominess and despair. Like a domino eect, the students around them berigid as well, so things were getting extremely hectic. Gossip spread like wildre, therein peoples eyes, the peace was disturbed.

It brought to my attention that this disruption was caused by just one person, and aecother, and then another, and so on until the entire school was involved. It was like everemotions were linked together to orm one brain. When one person elt their emotionning to tumble, the rest did as well. Te one that started it seemed the worst, as they stuse physical violence instead o their words. It was like nothing mattered in the worldno teachers were teaching, no parents were there to break it apart, no children were trstop it. Everything happened as though it was meant to be. It was like a crime scene thone had to take a role in.

Minutes went by, I started to eel the tension die down. Te air cooled down a bit, and one, starting with the source, everyone began to return to their original calming state.re that spread beore was starting to play in reverse. As one ame got put out, others well. 1 minute went by, then 5, 10. Finally, the peace was restored. Students moved on

daily school lie, teachers got everyone in order, stopping the trees rom burning. Whatake away rom the school o Cognatio? Maybe it taught me that a strong and healthy aworth keeping, and that i there is a single ame, the whole orest could all down.


12/16

SCHOOL OF pArADISEAlissa M.

SCHOOLS OF FEELINGS

Flying elephants, mythical creatures, gods, Einstein, politics, gold, are all things that a personwants their paradise school to have. I you believe it the S chool o Paradise has these things, itis where everyone wants and needs to go, it is everyones true destination and dream in lie. Te

school oats in the sky and can only be accessed by those worthy and who deserve to be there inthe heavens. It is a place o bliss and relaxation or those who dream o good things. Te Schoolo Paradise, diers and morphs into something else or each person that enrolls. It changes con-sistently because o each students unique and dierent perspective on a paradise. Tereore, each

person has a unique personality, dierent rom everyone else, which gives the schools multiplepersonalities as well.

Some students might see millions o numbers bobbing in the wind, equations popping out othe boards, and persistent problems that want to be solved. For these students the teachers arealways encouraging them to be the best they can be and teach them to become even more in-telligent. Others might imagine school to be a place to socialize with riends and to ignore theteachers, who serve the students wine and cheese during class. Tose teachers are so kind andunderstanding that they give the students good grades just or talking amongst themselves. Somemight even believe Paradise does not consist anything that is school related, but that it is purelyor entertainment, such as surng among the misty clouds in the bright sky. Other students likedreaming day and night about ones lie and beyond it or exploring an abstract world in a versiono school they believe Paradise to be.

Tis school pushes the students imagination and creativity to the brink, it is a place where youngminds can or cannot dierentiate reality and imagination. Creativity ows strongly rom thisschool like a r iver rushing aer being ooding by a large storm. Te students are blessed souls,living in an absolute wonderul world ull o riches, peace, adventure, discoveries, lie, and onand on it goes because each students picture o paradise is dierent. You might see the picture asParadise, but another might see it as Hell; the interpretation o the picture is your choosing.

23

DEzAlexi Kontos

SCHOOLS OF CHAOS

At a certain school, i one watches the students wander by, a eeling o chaos ovethe observer; but then, a sense o organization arises as well. Tis school is namEveryday the empty campus o Dezd, sits in the cold dark knight, waiting or thday, when all o the students return. At 7:45 AM the students start shufing ontoin a sleepy haze, shivering in the early hours o morning. Te ew students on cathis point seem to wander aimlessly ; the doors still locked rom the previous dayually lights start turning on as the sun rises, and more students arrive. At preciseAM every lost student nds their way and disappears, and the entire campus is lalthough i you listen ever so closely you can hear the aint, but unmistakable solectures, lessons and students learning. Te campus is a ghost town, with the ainpers o the occasional students wandering, not having any specic place to be. Tactly y minutes aer the students d isappeared, a ood o tired eyes and slow, teenagers pours rom each and every classroom, and a eeling o chaos encompacampus. At rst glance youd think that each and every student had no earthly id

where they were going or what they were doing, then you will notice a particularabout the students, and that no one seems lost or conused, and they all know exwhat needs to happen. Aer a short ve minutes the ghost town returns, as quiewas beore. Tis continues constantly or six hours, sometimes the ve minutes thours, but even then, each student knows exactly what to do amongst the appareusion. Ten the crowd starts to dwindle, and i one wasnt paying attention, theythat the crowd was disappearing out o thin air! But i you pay close enough atteyou will see the crowd has not shrunk, it has just begun to disperse into the worlon to other things, to come back the next day. As the sun sets the last o the crowo into the orange haze o the sunset, just above the horizon, and soon aer the glow o the classroom lights icker o, as the last o the suns bright light ades othe moons bright but so light glows throughout the night. Tis process carries

and day out, until the summers heat is almost unbearable, and the students disatheir yearly vacations, some not to come back the ollowing school year, most reTis chaos is an everyday normal or the students o the modern day school, andyear, new students experience the same chaos, but it always works. In chaos therture, but then in structure there is chaos.


13/16

rEpEATING SCHOOLSAlex Bassil

SCHOOLS OF CHANGE

I see several structures on the horizon and instantly become intrigued, traveling towardsthem with great curiosity. Eventually I notice, Flaxen Academy, and realize that theseare the places where the youth are supposedly being taught. I then spy a plaque in shim-mering gold that reads, Te uture o our nation, courtesy o none other than the mas-termind himsel, Dr. Harrison. He thinks hes doing a service, when all he is really doingis running a broken system, so I blame him not but simply eel bad or the old southerngentleman. I trudge orward into ominous and conusing skies with a coveted light, araway masked by clouded obstacles. Tis ate accepted and not questioned by these stu-dents. Is it a result o them actually believing or just being orced? At rst my attention isdrawn to the apparent dierences in these schools, rom Jackson Academys rich greenery,to Te Waxen Schools towering buildings. However it doesnt take long or me to real-ize that these visible dierences mean nothing. I notice a swarm o uniormed studentsdispersing or their break and I am reassured o my initial belies. I see the similaritiesin their actions and schools o thought, that the notion that these schools are in any waydierent rom one another is laughable. Perhaps in sports, or in elegance o campus, butin actual teaching and or nourishment, I question. Knowing that it doesnt matter whichschool, I arbitrarily make my way into Klaxon Day School. Looking into classes and hear-ing the occasional, how is chemistry going to help me with the rest o my lie? Mostlikely unknowingly, these students are unmasking the aws within the education systemas a whole, but theyve been indirectly taught not to care, just to get through it. I cringewhen the teacher says, so you can pass my class, thats why. I leave just as quickly as I en-tered, with a sense o pessimism that these inefciencies will never be dealt with. Walkingtowards clearer skies I think o solutions to this problem, but understand that the voice oone will never be heard over the ingrained.

And thats when I arrive to you in your mansion. Reporting back all o the aws within the

education system o your empire. My parting question is, is it air to expect greatness romthe youth, when all youre giving them to work with is mediocrity?

25

MUTATNeil Conwell

SCHOOLS OF CHANGE

o imagine a place that has went rom being a utopia to becoming a dystopia is uomable, yet such a place exists. Tere was always sun beaming into each windowclassroom all day long at Mutatio. Birds chirped melodically throughout the daythat could be recognized by the youngest o ages. Smiles could not be avoided, awas not a displeased soul. Te school was known or a reputation that went untaand was held to the highest praise throughout the world. Scholars tried to nd tho this achievement that was attained yet never could. Tey concluded that it simingrained within the people themselves and their upbringing in their thriving coty. It was unbelievable to realize that the weekends and breaks were disliked. Tebegged or constant learning and developing. However, something happened anto this day, no one knows what or when it occurred. A prison had risen rom thees o what once was the most enjoyable place on the ace o this planet. Te onlystudents attend this school is because they have nowhere else to go. Te communnever despised itsel so much. Roads are built around it so to a llow travelers notwitness what death looks like. It has been wiped o maps and erased rom memll the sky out o pity. Sullen clouds hover over the city and block any rays o sunrom penetrating through allowing or a glimmer o hope. Tere is no dierencenight and day besides the numbers on a clock. Walking through the halls and it morgue has risen rom a park. A classroom once lled with eager studious studecrowded with rebellious and elonious scum. Te mere thought is disgusting yetsincere condolences or the loss o what it used to be. Te elderly reminisce whillescents suer. A dream, which could have never been dreamt, has now become


14/16

SCHOOL OF ULYSSES SAMUEL SMITH rOGErS

Justin Waen

SCHOOLS OF CHANGE

When youd enter this school o Ulysses Samuel Smith Rogers you may have elt likeyou had entered an old soviet province where the cold, sullen, and earul aces con-

trast with the harsh aces o the teachers. When you entered each classroom it madeyou eel like you are having deja-vu.

In this school each class is eerily the same.Students sat uniormly and silently.Testudents sat in their classes ull o ear.Teir matching uniorms, with a red shirtsand yellow sickle and hammer in the right corner are to show school pride. each-ers wore the same simple attire as well. Te students all received the same exact timeor learning a new concept. But they also received the same books, pencils, binders,book bags, and the same ood in the caeteria. Tis seemed very unair and unjustto the students but no one would dare complain to the administration, or they allknow what happens to kids that speak their minds.

Aer classes students participate in their administration assigned sports. Even ithey do not want to play they have no choice but to. For they know what happensto students that try and speak their minds. On the court or eld the students are nolonger individuals but are now machine with many various parts that work simulta-neously as one. When they competed, they have no emotion and are repeatedly toldto bury their competition.

But one day the students had enough o the oppression. One day the students decid-ed to make a change. It just took one student to voice what they elt was right. Teneveryone began to join in, the administration tried to crush the revolution but theycouldnt. Te walls o sameness and dictatorships crumble to the ground. Te stu-

dents were ree again and this school is still reminded by its past, but it does not careabout that.

27

THOMAS H. EDWArDS SCH

Kyle Higgins

SCHOOLS OF CHANGE

In the Tomas H. Edwards School, organization and time are not something that concerns eithedents or aculty. Te days o the people there are neither determined by reason or convenience, bthe schools mascot, a small nch, decides. A small nch is placed in the students gathering pla

small bird ies to a tree the day will be spent as an open orum. Te students will wander wherepulled and a teacher will ollow groups so t hat they can conduct the discussions. I the nch doat a tree but continues to y until it is beyond the horizon the students will be set ree or the darules and to do whatever activities they may chose. Tey may even wander away rom the schoothe day o i they want to. When the nch stays on the ground to look or something it can eat, wishes to stay grounded, then the teachers and students will wander around until they nd a clathey wish to be in or most o the day. Tere they will have a lesson on whatever the teacher or edents eel t or the day. I the nchs ight is obscure, tests will take place on anything, possiblyor nothing. ests are on things rom the theories o the s ciences to the avors o ice cream to thcolor. Te tests may be easy or they may be impossible, but each o them has a challenge.

On most days, when the students have lessons at .H.E. School, the lessons are not planned. Chany age or any experience sit on the ground, cabinets, desks, and chairs to listen to anything anyto teach. One may even nd teachers learning rom their students, students learning rom each

teachers teaching each other. Lessons may go on without a oreseeable end, they may last mere or students may leave in the middle to pursue a new lesson, but every second o learning has vainhabitants o the school.

Learning is a co-operative endeavor at the school. Tis is why i anyone has an opinion or sometinterject during lessons, test, or orums everything will stop to hear w hat the important individcontribute. exts and work are something that is not the schools but is owned by the people whtheir days at the school. Te books may be le on the ground overnight or they may be stored loso unpredicted accidents cannot happen to them, but t hey have been cared or the way the own

Tomas H. Edwards School is not talked about requently outside the school because t he townsthe school may not approve o the disorganization and care the school has within itsel. Te schnever become a prestigious school but maybe because this is t he way the school is its students wthe school with t hem. Tis is maybe to say the alumnus o the school may aspire to high prestigschool may not. One has to ask, i a competing school is able to produce the same product againgood or bad, without any unpredictable change, does that school really teach you and should it such high esteem? Shouldnt a school raise its students into critical thinkers who may look at s oan abstract way to nd a solution, or do we want schools that train students to do one specic thwithout the ability to create new solutions? Isnt this to ask, Would you give a man a sh or a Knowing the answer to either o the questions will answer the other.


15/16

VITATConno L.

SCHOOLS OF RELATIONSHIPS

In my travels I came across a sage, and as I had not ound a school to inspecsome time, I asked him i there were any schools in the area. He responded

most curious manner.While there are many schools that are in remote locations many that all ocmany that none wish to attend, there is one school that is mandatory. Te so which all are proud alumni, but none had the same experience. Tis placmany orms, a mentor, a lesson, a bowl o cereal, or an experience. No one hthe same course, and none have graduated in the same class. Tis universityall people who they shall be, all are taught with the same method but neverbook or class times. Some leave early, others stay on or as long as they can,up as much personality as possible. Te length o learning and the classes arthe same but the eect it has is universal. It determines the destinies o its anone can be without having learned what they are to do. Very ew are awar

teaching they received, yet all have received much rom this school o lie. Ters o virtue, the walls o society, all things shape this school and the studenuactures. Te standards to conormity are low, no product is the same; eacproducing a dierent version o a common brand. Te school o lie shapesour responses, experiences, and it leads to the same place. Every product is the same dump. Tis dump is seen dierently by many, the school is seen diby many, and the teachers are all dierent. Te only things we have in commour school, and our tomb.And now I return to you once more, not sure how to act on this educator. Tno lessons o change that I can bring, no way to contact its headmaster, a unschool indeed. We cannot change it, we cannot understand it, we must just

intentions are benign.

zArEDLily Budick

SCHOOLS OF CHANGE

Aer searching or days or intellectual beings you will arrive at the school o Zared.At rst, it is intriguing, and you ollow the crowd into the brick mass in ront o you.

Children ood the halls, chatting and laughing as you ght your way through. Yougo through your rst day, interested in everything: maths, history, english, and sci-ence. Each class is preparing you or the same thing, in dierent ways, and each classis preparing kids o the same age.. Until you walk into the grand dining hall, swarm-ing with groups o kids claiming their rightul spot. Te hierarchy you didnt noticebeore becomes apparent as the reshmen take their seat in the corner and the seniorjocks take their place in the center. As the days go on you start to notice how everyday is the same. You walk into a swarming school, attend the same classes prepar-ing you or the same thing with the same people o the same age, and then you hangout with the same people outside o class. So you realize that it is time to get out. Soyou leave Zared, hoping to nd another place to learn. But when you get there, all

you nd is another Zared. Another school with the same classes, same age groups,same cliques and groups, everything is the same except the aces. And you know, nomatter where you go, you will never escape, and are orever trapped in the school oZared.

29


16/16

Armelio AcAdemy

James Gubbs


O course I know what schools are like! I said to this authoritative man who was s ending me on a seemingly unavailing tripto go and learn about the concept o a school. Te man soly replied By visiting these schools around the world, we will gaincountless perspectives o schools in action. We will be able to truly understand what goes on within these s chools, and whatmakes them tick. Despite my protests, I was sent to a school named Amelio Academy, a high school located just outside o Syd-

ney, Australia. As the plane landed in Sydney, I thought to mysel Ive been to multiple schools beore. I know what happens.My views on modern schools were solely based o my own experience. Tis is why I made the humiliating assumption that thisschool would be like every other school in the world. More specically I believed that the interactions between the students herewould be no dierent than the interactions I exper ienced during my high school education. I brought these assumptions with meas I traveled to Sydney or this trip.

Welcome to Amelio Academy. I sure hope you like it, I dont was the rst thing that greeted me as I walked into theschool. Tis odd message came rom a student, who I later learned was in her rst year o High school at Amelio. Tat was notthe best thing to be greeted with while making rst i mpressions. As it turned out, this girl was to be my rst guide o the school.Little did I know that she would be the one to set my old assumptions on re, replacing them with the reality that is Amelio. Sheshowed me to her rst class, Chemistry. Beore I walked into the Chemistry lab, I distinctly remembered how my own Chemis-try class was dominated by the gi rls. Te girls would always receive high gr ades or their studious, well-written work, while theguys would receive lower grades or their less-composed eorts. I assumed this gender-grade dierence to be standard among allschools, so I was more than astonished to see Amelios Chemistry class being the reverse o my assumption. When I mention mythoughts about this grade separation, the teacher starkly tells me that in act the boys i n the class strive to succeed ar more thanthe girls do. I am stunned to hear this, yet my student guide reassures me that she still receives very high grades.

As the day goes on we come upon lunch time. My student guide ushers me to the caeteria, where we quickly get oodand move to a table. So quickly that it is almost as i we were rushing to s ecure a valuable territory. Te table lls up with more

students, who appear to be very close riends to my guide. As I look around the caeteria I notice that the large room has been di-vided up into obvious groups. Students have brought tables together to accommodate their riends, and only their riends. WhenI question my guide about this observation, she responds sounding quite alarmed, o course there is a separation! I youre notpart o one o their little social groups then you cant do anything thing with them. Te other groups are either socially humiliat-ed or publicly worshipped, depending on how popular the group is. In response I had to ask what social group she belonged to,so she explained to me that I was sitting with the intellectual group. Just then a bulky looking kid walked over and commencedinsulting, taunting, and even threatening the students that sat at our table. He did not stop his harassment until he recognizedthat I was a tad bit older than the average student that he stopped. My guide with aked sarcasm then asked me Five bucks i youcan guess which group is at the bottom o the ood chain here.

Tus ended lunch and my time with my student guide. My new guide was the college counselor o the school. As ayoung woman, she was the gatekeeper to the students uture education and career, and everyone k new her importance. She satme in her oce and conversed with me between the student appointments. I asked her about the social hierarchy that I had justwitnessed in the caeteria and she sig hed, then said Yes. Te younger students here, usually the reshmen or sophomores, judgetheir peers based on their social group. Tey rank themselves as i whoevers on top controls the school! She then puts on a

very smug ace saying But just wait till they come into my oce, then theyll realize theyve been doing it all wrong! Tey startto realize that their social ranking is utile compared to the academic ranki ng that they are going to ace! I have to laugh at thismysel, but now it all makes sense. Te counselor tells me that she in act attended Amelio twelve years ago, and experienced the

exact same social situation. It hasnt changed at all, not even the group separation. I was in the intellectual group, but look at menow! Guess whos the one telling the jocks that they probably shouldve studied a little more or their nal exam!

I le Amelio Academy that night. As I was looking out at the horizon, taking in everything I experienced that day, I eltcondent enough to say that my assumptions about a standard school were dead wrong. I was glad that I le those assumptionsbehind, way back in Sydney.

31

SOLIDArIEBooke Joynes


Tere was once a teaching establishment, long since perished, in the heart owhere culture thrived and the community spirit was booming. Everyone ta

each other all the time, communication was o the upmost importance, at atime during the day you could hear bells ringing and people shouting at eacer across the street. However in the urthest, most barren corner o the towschool was silent. Her name was Solidarity. She was a beauty to look at, withtall towers and carved arches. Also the stairs taking you up and down all ovcampus. But inside the school, with the children there was nothing. No worsounds, except or the quiet whisper o teachers creaking out their lessons, aint squeaks o the dry-erase markers against the white board. Te childrenever think that nothing is wrong, all they know is the silence that surrounddaily. Solidarity stands alone, in more ways then one. But it was not always once the children there, were as loud and boisterous as the town they calledIt all changed one day, the rst clique. Te kids started to group themselveson common likes, and dislikes. And they did not, ever speak to anyone outclique. And then a couple months later, the cliques got smaller as the requiror being in the group grew, not only were the same likes and dislikes necesthe same house, the same car, the same amily background. Until very suddseemed, there went rom being one school o our hundred kids all getting aone school o our hundred dierent cliques, none talking. Tese groups haso small they became the size o one person, because, who has more in comwith you, than you?

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