Places: Salem Academy
Salem Academy is almost 300 years old. It is currently in it's third incarnation as parts of the building have been destroyed over the years (once a fire set off by an uncontrollable elemental, and once because of natural flooding). The construction is stone in some places, wood in others, though the entire building has been whitewashed so as to be blinding in the morning sun.
It has an extensive lawn and a bit of woods out behind, where the school grows a supply of herbal remedies among other things.
The dormitories are off to the side, attached by a long hallway. Typically only students who live in the dorms are permitted this way, but children are always trying to sneak their friends in for a visit. There are a few pretty,
little white houses further down the way for the scholars to live in. They are not attached to the main building and only the scholars know how to get into these buildings. They all have the amenities they need, including a shared kitchen, living area, and library. Each scholar's room has an adjacent bathroom for their own use.
The school itself is comprised of several buildings connected by hallways and peculiar passages. There is a wing entirely devoted to elemental magic now and constructed in such a way that even an out of control element can be tamed, all students regardless of school attend their elemental lessons here. The rest is mostly divided by Lesser, Middle, and Upper buildings, three separate and unique portions to the building. University has no specific building, as most of the scholars use any portion of the school to conduct their research.
The operations at school change depending on who is in control, but it is usually very loose. Teachers and students show up around 9 in the morning (sometimes the Upper School students and teachers agree to come in later when they feel like it) and usually spend some time catching up, discussing any magic that was done out of school. The term classes is used very loosely because every scholar has their own method of imparting knowledge. The Lesser School kids usually have more routine, but things gets less controlled as the kids grow older. They have lessons when they want to, where they want to, as their scholars feel the need to move lessons along.
There is no grade system as Salem Academy. Students are allowed to take any classes they want to and are simply encouraged to try a little of everything before they settle into a specialty (or several as the case may be).
Vacations are also a peculiar thing. They are entirely random and are usually announced a few weeks before they happen. It is usually up to the scholars and heads of school when they feel they need a week, or few weeks off. The last vacation was in early June for three weeks. The next vacation will probably be sometime in September.
There are three headmasters(mistresses) and three vice principals (one for each school). There is no overall headmaster, though there is a board of governors for the school, all influential alumni, or former teachers. The University has no master, though scholars are selected by the board of governors and will be reprimanded by them if they step out of line. It's extremely political on the board of governors and hard to become one of their flock (as they elect new members as a self-governing body). All of these positions help to oversee the school and keep it running smoothly.
Current Scholars include:
Aldrich Waldemar; teaches Abjuration at all levels
Garage Chance; he teaches spell magic at the Middle and Upper Schools, iron element at all levels
Miles Huxley; teaches healing magic at advanced levels as well as serving as a "school nurse" during the week
Puck; teaches Elemental magic at all levels
Teàrlag Chance; teaches faerie magic
Titus; teaches Fortuna magic
