Professor Nathan Xavier
September 16, 2016 2:57 PM
First Year Orientation by Professor Nathan Xavier
Nathan Xavier stood in the Gardens, directing students as they got off the flying wagons. "Please leave your luggage in the wagons. The elves will deliver your belongings to your rooms. First years, please head through there," here he would point through an opening in the labyrinths hedges over which hung a banner that read Welcome to Sonora! First Year Orientation. "Mingle, enjoy the food, meet your year mates. Older students, the Cascade Hall and library are open for your use, as well as your common rooms. If you need a password, please find your Head of House or one of your prefects; there should be one here in the landing area now, or in the Hall later." Then another wagon with another load of students would arrive, and the process would repeat.Eventually, all of the wagons were accounted for and the older students had all spread out into the school while the first years were congregated together in one of the larger open areas in the labyrinth. Food and drink tables lined one hedge, with snacks and desserts of all forms, and even small sandwiches for those wanting something healthier and more filling. Another table had two piles of parchments weighted down with rocks and signs that advised this was where one went to get a map of the school and a class schedule.
Looking around as he entered the area, he could see some students had already collected their copies and many had accepted the invitation to eat and drink after their bumpy and potentially long journeys aboard the magical covered wagons that had flown them here.
"Your attention please, just for a moment," Nathan called, far more comfortable addressing this group than he had been speaking in front of any of the previous orientation groups he'd overseen. He attributed that to a year's worth of student teaching, an experience he hadn't been able to claim at this time last year. He was barely sweating, and the little bit he was perspiring was at least equally due to the bright Arizona sun shining down on them. The weather charms on the school and the shade from a couple overhanging trees cut the worst of the heat, but it was still late summer in a dessert. This was definitely good beach weather today but Sonora was sadly lacking a beach.
"First of all, welcome to Sonora Academy and the First Year Orientation. If you haven't gotten copies yet, there are maps and schedules there on that table." He pointed it out. "I am Mr. Xavier - er, Professor Xavier," he stumbled over his new title, still not used to introducing himself that way, "the new Herbology professor, Teppenpaw Head of House, and the groundskeeper."
"We'll be taking a tour of the school in a little bit, which will conclude at the Cascade Hall just in time for your Sorting Ceremony and then the Welcoming Feast, but first I'm going to go over some of the school policies and offerings, and then you'll have some more time to meet and greet amongst yourselves until it is time to head out and tour your new school."
"Academically, all first years take the same core subjects together: Potions, Charms, Transfiguration, Care of Magical Creatures, Defense Against the Dark Arts, and now Herbology. We're a small school, so your year group will join with the second years for a combined beginners class. When you reach third year, you will move up into the Intermediate class and stay at that level until you take your standardized Critical Assessment of Talents and Skills, or the CATS exam, at the end of fifth year. After that, you'll have the opportunity to drop any subjects you do not want to continue into the Advanced level, which is where you will prepare for your Ridiculously Anal Testing of Skills, or RATS standardized exam, at the end of your seventh year. You will need to pass two RATS to graduate, but we strongly recommend taking at least three if you wish to continue your education at a college or apprenticeship. Starting at the intermediate level, we also offer additional elective courses and independent studies beyond the core classes you start with this year. If you find you need additional academic help, we also offer supplementary study groups that cover English as a second language, essay writing, and study skills. Please see your Head of House if you would like to enroll in that."
"Extracurricularly, the school hosts Quidditch teams for each House - Pecari is the team to beat this year - and the Library accepts student helpers. Beyond that, we've got quite a few student run clubs here, including a Book Club, Art Club, Baking Club, Archery Club, Science Club, a Fashion Club, a Sports Club," he paused, counting those off on his fingers to make sure he hadn't missed any. "Yeah, that's all the ones we had last year. And if none of those are what you are looking for, you can always start your own."
"I just mentioned Houses. There are four of them: Pecari, Aladren, Teppenpaw, and Crotalus. They are called Houses because that's where you'll be living for the next seven years, and your Housemates will be your family here. The Sorting Ceremony tonight will determine which of those you will be joining. Within each House, you will room with those of your year and gender. Each House has three prefects, one from each of the year groups fifth year and up, a Quidditch Captain, and a faculty member called your Head of House, any of which you can go to with questions or problems. Your House earns points whenever is members display exceptional classwork, good behavior, or participation in school activities such as Quidditch. Likewise, misbehavior loses points. The House with the most points at the end of the year gets the honor of hosting the House Cup in their commons the next year."
He took a deep breath and finished off with the key facts people probably wanted to know but which didn't fit together in any neat categories. "Small fare food like sandwiches and snacks are available upon request in the Cascade Hall at all times between 6am and curfew at 10, but larger meals are marked on your schedule and are only available then. All students are welcome on the House Quidditch teams; no experience necessary. I think most teams have openings and reserves are always reassuring to have."
"If you have any further questions feel free to ask me or one of the other staff members." He took a moment to indicate the other staff volunteers milling about the clearing who had chosen to help him chaperone the orientation. "In the mean time, enjoy the food and talk amongst yourselves. The tour will begin in approximately one hour."
OOC (Out of Character):
Welcome first years to Sonora! You can post a reply here to ask staff questions or meet your new classmates. This thread is intended for first year students to have a chance to try out posting and get acclimated to the site before we throw you into the big Opening Feast, which is open to the entire school population and can be a bit overwhelming. So post, enjoy, have fun! Everyone here is happy to help out, so if you've got a question, put it on the OOC or try to catch somebody in the Chatzy and we'll try to get you an answer as quick as we can.
Subthreads: First Day Jitters by Sawyer Matheson with Florence Newell
Finally Arriving by Kit Reid with Ayla Tremaine
Not in Texas anymore by Magnus Graphorn IV with Salali Bly
I miss my friends by Isaac Song with Simon Mordue
The start of an adventure! by Victor Callahan with Kir McLeod
Things can only get better, right? by Winston Pierce with Luke Powell
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Professor Nathan Xavier
First Year Orientation
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Kit Reid
September 16, 2016 6:08 PM
Finally Arriving by Kit Reid
Before getting off the wagon, Kit pulled a compact mirror out of her small, white handbag. Holding up the mirror, she made sure no hairs were out of place and fixed her white headband. Pulling her lip gloss out, she ran a quick coat over her lips. She wasn’t allowed to wear actual makeup, but this gave her face a little sparkle. Satisfied, she put everything away and smoothed out any wrinkles in her pink with white polka dot dress. There, now she was every bit of the perfect image that her parents expected her to be. Taking a deep breath, she joined the other students.Looking around, she assessed the situation. It was like a small party and in any party, it was important to make sure one was mingling with the appropriate crowd. Though, it was difficult to tell exactly who was the right sort simply by judging appearance. Thankfully, before it seemed awkward that she hadn’t talked to anyone yet, the Professor began speaking. She vaguely listened to what he was saying about classes. She would have preferred to have more options, but it sounded like they might have that opportunity when they got to the higher levels, which was actually exciting. She liked learning and already read at a fourth year level. Of course, she would never admit to that since she didn’t want to seem like some sort of nerd. She had an image to maintain after all.
Though, said image hadn’t been established yet. She took further opportunity to look around for appropriate contacts, which would have been much easier if there was some sort of universal sign that stated who was who. Once the speech was finished, she headed over to where the food was. It was a guarantee that at any party, most people would head towards the refreshments. Now, all she had to do was look approachable. She didn’t want to turn anyone off of being potential friends with her, especially because one never knew anymore by dress alone. There were proper purebloods that wore casual clothing and those that wore their best just because it was the first day.
When someone finally made eye contact with her, Kit smiled brightly. “Hi, I’m Kit Reid of the Connecticut Reids,” said just like her mother had instructed. “What a wagon ride! I thought I would never get here. We usually travel by apparition. My parents don’t like using floo, because it’s too dirty.” She gave a little nervous laugh. Kit wasn’t really outgoing at all and felt like she was rambling slightly. “I’m sorry. I didn’t ask about you. What’s your name and did you have far to travel?”
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Ayla Tremaine
September 18, 2016 1:40 AM
And now the fun begins! by Ayla Tremaine
It had been harder to say her goodbyes than Ayla had imagined. Mostly because Aurelia was crying and clinging to her while Mother tried to settle a fight between Milo and Lenn, and Declan was crying because he was three. Not exactly the type of image you want to portray in front of a crowd of people, so it was for the best that Ayla’s father drove her to the wagon pick up point alone. He always seemed to be working, so it was nice to be able to spend a little time together, even if they didn't say much.“Mind your manners, learn a lot, and don't forget the rules.” He'd said as he hugged his oldest child and sent her off to Sonora. Father had also given Ayla a gold locket in the shape of a heart. The idea was that every time she looked at it she'd think of the family, and how much they loved her.
She was wearing it now, as she prepared to step foot on Sonora grounds for the first time. She'd waited until most of the other students filed out of the wagon, and gathered her composure before stepping out and into the clearing with the other students.
Ayla decided to wear a swingy mint green dress that hit just below her knee. The top was floral lace with a gauzy illusion yoke and short cap sleeves, while the bottom was woven faille. She'd worried that it was a little too dressy for the occasion, but her mother insisted, plus it had pockets which supposedly made it more casual. The brown strappy sandals she wore helped too, and showed off the french tip pedicure she'd gotten with her mother the day before. Her flaxen hair was in loose curls that fell to her mid back, and she was allowed to wear clear mascara and lip gloss.
She brushed her hair back from her face and allowed her green eyes to scan the gardens, and her classmates. A few people had paired off, some were exploring the snack table, and soon Professor Xavier was welcoming them and explaining about the school. The more she heard, the more excited she became. Mother had instructed her to get as much as she could out of her time at Sonora, which included clubs and activities. There was so much potential for networking and building relationships!
It wasn't easy to figure out who was who based on appearances, but one could usually tell a pureblood by the way they introduced themselves. The Tremaines weren't against knowing people of other blood statuses, so it wouldn't do Ayla any harm to just be nice. As the speech wrapped up, she noticed how dry the air was compared to the Bay area. Hydration was an important part of good skin, so she headed to the snack table for some water. She noticed a girl in a really cute dress as she approached and smiled at her as she grabbed a glass of water.
Kit Reid was her name, and from the way she spoke and her lipgloss, Ayla had a feeling that she could get along with this girl. She had a plan when it came to making friends, girls her age first, and then boys. Because what fun would it have been to make friends with boys if you didn't have girlfriends to discuss them with?
“Floo is the worst.” She said with a smile. “I'm Ayla Tremaine, of the Palo Alto Tremaines. My journey wasn't nearly as long as yours. I can't imagine being in that wagon all the way from Connecticut! I love your dress, by the way. Do you think you'll join any clubs?” She asked, taking a sip of water as she let her gaze wander around the clearing before turning back to Kit.
“Which house do you think you'll be in?” She asked with excitement in her voice. “I'm personally hoping for Crotalus.”
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And now the fun begins!
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Kit
September 19, 2016 8:47 PM
It should be interesting by Kit
“It was terrible! Part of me wished that my parents had sent me to a school on the East coast, however, they thought this would be better so that I could meet new people.” It went without saying that meeting new people meant making new connections with the right people. “But I already love how warm it is here. Back home, I would have had to have a light sweater.”With Ayla’s introduction, Kit smiled with approval. The mere statement signaled that she was someone that her parents would most likely approve of. She wondered if her parents had already heard of the Tremaine family and made a mental note to ask them later. After all, any information obtained could prove valuable later.
“Oh, thank you!” Kit exclaimed. She shimmied a little to show off the dress. “I love yours too! I wasn’t sure if this side of the country was doing the same sort of style or not. I was reading Fashion Witch and it said the classic dress was in everywhere. Of course, accessories were personalized.” She touched the pearls around her neck. It was obvious to anyone that knew about jewelry that they were real since they weren’t all completely perfect.
Following suit, Kit picked up a water and took a sip. It gave her a moment to pause before she continued on, her thoughts running ahead of her. “It sounds like there a lot of clubs to choose from. If there’s Fashion Club, I might join that.” It may have sounded slightly superficial, but she did enjoy Fashion and she read all of the magazines. Though, she would have loved to join a brainy type club as well. She wasn’t sure if it would be approved of or not since in certain societal areas, being female and being smart weren’t necessarily approved of. However, she had recently read that some areas were becoming a little more progressive. “Are you going to join any?”
“Oh, um,” she twirled a lock of blonde hair around her finger. She had given quite a bit of thought to which House she wanted to be in and she was torn between two. “Crotalus, definitely.” She silently added, ’Or Aladren.’. Each one had its advantages. If she were to be in Crotalus, then maybe she would be popular and be able to make the connections her parents would approve of. However, if she were Aladren, then she could be free to learn and express the nerdy thoughts that she sometimes had. She felt like she might not be judged as much being around people more like her.
Kit glanced around at the other students. “Do you know anyone here?” It was mostly an invitation to gossip about the other students and to gauge what Ayla’s opinions on the others were so far. She didn’t want to make a mistake by saying anything about someone that she might know or who could belong to a prominent.
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It should be interesting
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Ayla
September 21, 2016 3:16 AM
I definitely hope so! by Ayla
“Welcome to the Southern United States, where it rarely gets below 40 degrees.” Ayla said with a smile. “I’ve heard that Connecticut is really pretty though, and you guys get snow. We don't get snow in my part of California. That's pretty clever of them, though, sending you so far away in order to make cross continental connections.” As she said that, it finally dawned on her that she was going to be away from her family for an extended period of time. She'd been so excited that she hadn't even considered that she'd be alone for the first time in her life. “Are you worried at all about being homesick?”The way Kit spoke about her fashion choice, along with the revelation that she also read Fashion Witch, made Ayla feel really good about the other girl. They definitely seemed to have a lot in common so far. She leaned forward slightly to get a better view of Kit’s pearls.
“Thank you! Your necklace is lovely as well. You can't go wrong with pearls. Do you read Teen Witch too?”
Ayla's mother told her to get as involved as possible, and make a lot of friends, so the prospect of clubs was pretty exciting. “Fashion club for sure.” She said with a smile as she tried to recall the rest of the last given by the professor. “Book club, yes. Baking club, maybe if it's using magic. Art club, yes. The rest I'm unsure of. Maybe archery? But likely not science. I think that's all of them.” She had hoped for something more musically inclined, but she would be alright without. Between classes and all the clubs she planned on signing up for, she was bound to be busy.
“We could be roommates!” The young blonde said excitedly, clasping her hands around her cup. “There is a slight chance that I could go Teppenpaw, but will see. I'm so anxious to find out.”
Her green eyes scanned the ever growing group of first years as Kit asked her if she knew anyone else. “Not yet! The loud girl with cookie on her face was on my wagon though, as was another boy, but I was listening to older kids talk about their summers mostly. Did you know they had a ball last term? I'm so sad that I missed it!”
“What about you? Anyone you're familiar with?”
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I definitely hope so!
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Kit
September 22, 2016 1:13 AM
New Friend. :) by Kit
“Oh, it is so pretty, especially at Christmas! We put up twelve different trees and have a huge party. My dad always hires performers to put on a production of the Nutcracker and we have absolutely the best dishes. You have to come!” In her moment of excitement, she grabbed her new friend’s hand. “Please say you will. It’ll be so much fun.”“But yes, just saying that is making me homesick already. I miss my parents, of course. I also miss Sir Beauregard. That’s my horse. He’s a Friesian and he’s my baby. He’s going to be so lonely without me.” Kit made a slight pouty face. “I’m going to have to be sure to write him a letter every week so he doesn’t miss me too much.” Kit’s family owned other horses, but Beau was special and he was all hers. “Do you have any pets?”
“Yes, I love Teen Witch. Last month’s issue was fabulous with the entire serious on updating boring uniforms. I don’t know if I’m bold enough to do the actual alterations that they did on some of them, but I can definitely do the accessorizing.” She wished she was brave enough to do things like alter the hemline or make the robe sparkle, but she didn’t want to get into trouble her first year and end up being labeled as some sort of rebel.
Oh! Ayla was interested in Book Club! Kit could have jumped for joy. It seemed her fears were unfounded as her new friend seemed interested in joining a lot of the same things that she was interested in. “Book Club definitely sounds like fun, but I think I’ll skip on Baking Club. Art Club, I might, but I don’t think I would be very good at it. The last time I tried drawing, it ended up just being a bunch of stick figures. Are you good at Art?” She wasn’t really sure what to say about Archery. She didn’t know if her mother would approve or not, but it did have a sort of romanticism about it. It was like something out of a novel. She could just picture a warrior using his bow and arrow and saving the damsel in distress. She nearly sighed at the thought.
“I hope we both get into Crotalus then,” Kit stated decisively, as if there were no other option. “We can have late night talks and make sure our outfits are always perfect.” She could just see it now. They would be able to be fashion icons.
“No, but there a couple of them were on my wagon.” She adjusted the pink plastic frames on her face and glanced over to the one boy she remembered seeing. She hadn’t talked to him, because she wasn’t sure if they were the same age or not. She had felt a bit out of place on the wagon with other kids talking to kids that they knew. But now that she was looking at him, he looked rather ordinary and she dismissed him out of her mind.
“Back to this ball…I didn’t know that. But honestly, it might be a blessing that we missed it. Can you imagine any of the boys here making a worthwhile date?” Kit would have loved to have gone to a ball, but she didn’t want to go without having someone to dance with. It would have been rather embarrassing to have to go alone and sit out on all of the dancing. “Maybe they’ll have another one sometime.” She didn’t want to get Ayla down about the ball though. Maybe when another one came around, they would be able to have proper, maybe even older, dates. That would be something!
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New Friend. :)
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Ayla
September 22, 2016 2:31 PM
Friends forever! by Ayla
Ayla couldn’t see a reason for her parents to object to her visiting Kit in Connecticut over the holiday. She was so excited, and hoped that they would let her. How lucky was it that she and Kit found each other the very first day?“The instant we’re back in the common rooms I’m going to send my parents an owl and ask them. Your Christmas sounds so wonderful! We use weather charms around the estate, but it’s not quite the same. And then maybe you could come visit California over the summer!”
A frown appeared on the girl's lips as her new friend revealed that she too was a little homesick. Hopefully it wouldn’t last long, and being around people in the same position would likely help.
“Yeah, being away is going to be different for sure. I’m hoping that it’ll get easier.” Ayla perked up a little when Kit spoke about her horse, happy for a change in subject as thinking about her siblings, particularly the little ones, threatened to make her sad. “Ooo, Friesians are beautiful! We have a few horses in our stables at home, but they are largely because Milo wanted a pony when he was little, and my sisters love them too. I’ve learned how to ride, and the basics, but they are more my siblings horses than mine. I do have a cat though! I brought him to school with me, he hates being in his carrier so I hope they let him out soon. His name is Alby. He’s white, fluffy and the sweetest little ball of floof. I’m lucky I got to bring him, I’m so sorry you had to leave your baby at home. Do you have any siblings?”
“I just wish that Sonora’s robes weren’t so, green. Don’t get me wrong, I like green, but forest green isn’t the easiest color to compliment. Maybe we’ll learn some tricks in fashion club!” Ayla laughed when Kit told her about her art skills. “I’m not particularly gifted at actual art, I’m more of a musical spirit. With some of the clubs though, my participation is more a matter of being social than being interested in the topic, you know?” She was talking about archery in particular. The 11-year-old was a little boy crazy already, and she figured that would be a good place to make more male acquaintances.
Ayla bounced a little at the idea of what it would be like to actually be roommates with Kit. That was part of the fun of going away to school, building those relationships with your roommates. It was like having built in friends! “That will be so amazing! Promise we’ll still be friends, even if somehow we don’t end up as roommates!” While she didn’t like the idea at all, considering how well they were getting on, there was a little voice in Ayla’s head that always tried to prepare her for not getting her way. Maybe that was byproduct of having four younger siblings.
“Off hand, maybe not.” Ayla replied as she looked around the clearing, paying particular attention to the boys. “But who knows what Sonora holds in the way of second year boys.” She said with a smile. There were definitely some cute guys in her year, but it was hard to tell blood status based on looks. “I just want to wear a pretty dress, have fun with my friends, and maybe dance with a boy. I certainly hope they have other balls!”
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Friends forever!
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