Beginner Sign Up (nm) on Cascade Hall

Headmaster Brockert

July 09, 2015 11:36 AM

Midsummer Concert Sign Ups. by Headmaster Brockert

So far in Mortimer's reign as Headmaster, the Midsummer events hadn't really needed much participation from students. They had merely been events for the students to enjoy even though undoubtedly, they weren't necessarily going to be everyone's cup of tea. Granted, balls were such by nature. He didn't like them all that much himself.

That was not to say that there would never be a student run production again. On the contrary, this year's Concert would utilize the students. Though it would remain a volunteer event. Mortimer really did not want to have to hear people complain about being forced to do things they didn't want to do or forced to work with people they didn't like. He supposed things like that could still happen if someone signed up after someone who disliked them did or someone could be forced by their parents for whatever reason or even some overachiever who disliked this kind of thing and was masochistic enough to do it even though they really didn't want to because they were after a badge or just had to be involved in everything for whatever reason. None of this was Mortimer's fault. Or problem.

ATTENTION STUDENTS

This year's Midsummer Concert will be three acts made up from each level of students at Sonora:Beginners (Years I-2), Intermediate (Years 3-5) and Advanced (Years 6-7). Participation is voluntary. Please sign up below if you are interested. The Beginners group will be led by a staff member who will not be getting on stage but is there solely to supervise.

OOC-Please sign up under the appropriate group below.

Subthreads:

Advanced Sign Up (nm) by Headmaster Brockert with Emrys Lucan, Arnold Manger, Chloe Jareau, Ji-Eun Park, Charlie B-F-R, Portia Dobson, Julian Umland

Intermediate Sign Ups (nm) by Headmaster Brockert with Liliana Bannister, Jake Manger, Aiden O'Neil, Jamie Park, Duncan Brockert, Chaslyn Brockert, Scarlett Brockert, Makenzie Newell, Lionel Layne, Joella Curtis

Beginner Sign Up (nm) by Headmaster Brockert with Ginger Pierce, Caelia Lucan, Jemima Wolseithcrafte, Laila Kennedy, Gia Donovan, Sammy Meeks, Emilia-Louise Scott

11 Headmaster Brockert Midsummer Concert Sign Ups. 6 Headmaster Brockert 1 5

Headmaster Brockert
July 09, 2015 11:37 AM

Headmaster Brockert
Staff
Subject: Headmaster
Written by: Allegra Brockert

Birthday: May 27

Advanced Sign Up (nm) by Headmaster Brockert

11 Headmaster Brockert Advanced Sign Up (nm) 6 Headmaster Brockert 0 5

Headmaster Brockert
July 09, 2015 11:37 AM

Headmaster Brockert
Staff
Subject: Headmaster
Written by: Allegra Brockert

Birthday: May 27

Intermediate Sign Ups (nm) by Headmaster Brockert

11 Headmaster Brockert Intermediate Sign Ups (nm) 6 Headmaster Brockert 0 5

Headmaster Brockert
July 09, 2015 11:39 AM

Headmaster Brockert
Staff
Subject: Headmaster
Written by: Allegra Brockert

Birthday: May 27

Beginner Sign Up (nm) by Headmaster Brockert

11 Headmaster Brockert Beginner Sign Up (nm) 6 Headmaster Brockert 0 5

Ginger Pierce
July 09, 2015 1:11 PM

Ginger Pierce
Alumnus
House: Teppenpaw
Written by: Nathan

Age in Post: 12
Birthday: May 2nd

All over this by Ginger Pierce
Ginger did not hesitate at all. The motion of drawing her quill and writing her name was almost reflex. There was absolutely no way she was not getting involved in the concert, even if the sheet wasn't entirely clear whether the 'acts' were going to be dramatic plays or musical acts. Perhaps it was non-specific precisely because that was up to them to decide.

Either way, she was in. It was a performance. Even if she didn't genuinely love performing, not being involved may actually be one of the few ways she could get herself disowned. No, that was a terrible thing to think. Some people were truly facing that kind of awful rejection, and it was nothing to joke about. Her family loved her and would never push her away, even if she didn't want to perform. They'd wonder what was wrong with her, yes, and worry she had gotten mixed up with another baby at Mom's birthing center, but they wouldn't reject her.

Fortunately, the issue was moot anyway. There was no way she was missing out on this. She put her quill away and went to go get her breakfast with a fresh bounce in her step (she was not skipping over to the Teppenpaw table, but only barely), leaving her name behind under the beginner sign ups.

Ginger Pierce!!!!! Yay!!!! (2nd Year)

Nobody could doubt her enthusiasm.

1 Ginger Pierce All over this 302 Ginger Pierce 0 5

Liliana Bannister
July 09, 2015 9:14 PM

Liliana Bannister
Alumnus
House: Pecari
Written by: Mathilde Reinhardt

Age in Post: 15

Signing up! by Liliana Bannister
When Liliana walked into Cascade Hall that morning, she noticed that sign-ups for the school concert were up. She vaguely remembered the program from when she was a beginner student and was sad to see that the years weren’t mixed as she had enjoyed working with older students when she was younger. However, she didn’t mind it being year restricted either since it would mean she would get a chance to work with both Duncan and Atlas should they decide to sign-up versus having to head her own group while Duncan headed his own. As a prefect she felt slightly obligated to sign-up, on the other hand, she enjoyed entertaining other people—from a young age she had always soaked up the spotlight when Grandmère asked her to dance for the family and now as a Keeper she reveled in being able to make good saves should the opposing team Chasers ever make it down to her end of the pitch.

So, she threw her messy scrawl up on the board under intermediates only frowning slightly when she realised that the “th” of her Liliana Bannister, 5th year looked more like a misshapen pitchfork than anything and turned to go get something to eat. She was so hungry and the smell of breakfast foods was only causing her mouth to water more. However, before she left she noticed one other name on the sign-up sheets, the little Teppenpaw Keeper who seemed to be very excited over joining up. Liliana smiled to herself before looking around the dining hall. Her friends didn’t appear to be there and if they were she didn’t see them. However, she did spot Ginger’s dark hair and made her way over to sit down. They really needed to get together to play some Quidditch.

“Hey,” she said with a smile, nonchalantly piling some french toast on the plate that had appeared in front of her. “Could you pass the pumpkin juice, please?”

10 Liliana Bannister Signing up! 274 Liliana Bannister 0 5

Caelia Lucan
July 10, 2015 6:13 PM

Caelia Lucan
Alumnus
House: Crotalus
Written by: Mathilde Reinhardt

Age in Post: 12

One Lucan. Two Lucan. by Caelia Lucan
When Caelia woke up that morning she was excited. Today she and Emrys had plans for breakfast. Normally the siblings wound up eating at least one meal a day together just by happen chance, but every now and then they made arrangements to eat together just the two of them. She always liked those days because they reminded her of summers when all they did was hang out together and find things to do around town or around the house. She dressed quickly and rushed over to Cascade Hall, tying her hair ribbon in as she went, nearly tripping as she reached the doors. “Hey,” she said breathlessly as she got to her brother who had been waiting there for her. “I woke up a little late.”

Emrys just laughed. “That’s okay,” he replied as he opened the door for her and she went in. Emrys really liked it when he and Caelia could get together and eat. Some days he felt like he was losing her to Grandmother’s way of thinking, but their daily meals and their homework sessions in which Emrys forced Caelia to go through each step one by one until she understood things and routinely quizzed her on spelling and grammar since he knew she couldn’t write for sickles, helped to reassure him that his perfectly cheery sister was not completely lost.

“What’s that?” Caelia asked, going over to a set of boards. Emrys followed her and read the announcement out loud. “Let’s do it!” Caelia said with an excited smile, holding her hand out to Emrys. She didn’t have a quill on her, but she knew her brother would—he always had something like that around, he was just so reliable. “Thanks,” she replied as he handed it to her. She scribbled her name up on the board and then went to write Emrys’ name for his under Advanced students. He stopped her, however, and took the quill back.

“I’ll write my own name up,” he said with a good-natured grin. “You go find us somewhere to sit.” Caelia nodded once and turned to look at her name: Caelia Lucan, 2nd year before flouncing off to a table where they could eat together without being bothered. Emrys shook his head as he turned to the Advanced board.

OOC: Continued at the Advanced board.

10 Caelia Lucan One Lucan. Two Lucan. 307 Caelia Lucan 0 5

Emrys Lucan
July 10, 2015 6:22 PM

Emrys Lucan
Alumnus
House: Aladren
Written by: Mathilde Reinhardt

Age in Post: 16

Red Lucan. Blue Lucan. by Emrys Lucan
Caelia’s initiative in signing-up for the concert pleased Emrys. He liked to see his little sister get involved, especially because he hoped that by getting together with a group of students from across the beginners class it might provide her with an opportunity to befriend someone who wasn’t Kelsey Atwater. Emrys felt a little bad disliking a girl so much younger than himself, but although she seemed to treat Caelia alright, from what Caelia had told him about her roommate, Emrys didn’t think he trusted her. She was just like Grandmother, the type of person who thought purebloods were the only worthy sort of person. It was a conflicting experience for Emrys whose two best friends (other than Charlotte) were halfbloods.

He sighed and put his name under the Advanced students sign-ups, not particularly a huge fan of getting up on stage but knowing that it would disappoint his sister as well as whatever authority had decided to give him a badge if he didn’t participate in the activity. He incorporated the small squiggle Caelia had made when she had touched his quill to the board so that the ‘E’ of his Emrys Lucan, 6th year was slightly more loopy than usual, and went down to sit by her.

“French toast sounds good today, what do you think?” he asked as he saw she had already taken the liberty of pouring them both pumpkin juice. Although Cascade Hall offered a variety of things for students to eat at each meal, when Emrys and Caelia arranged to have a meal together they liked to choose the same foods to give it more of a homey feeling. Caelia nodded and Emrys put a couple pieces on their plates while she looked for strawberries and powdered sugar which were their french toast toppings of choice.

OOC: This post is continued from Caelia’s concert sign-ups under the beginner’s board.

10 Emrys Lucan Red Lucan. Blue Lucan. 260 Emrys Lucan 0 5

Arnold Manger
July 11, 2015 5:06 PM

Arnold Manger
Alumnus
House: Aladren
Written by: Casey

Age in Post: 16

I guess so? by Arnold Manger
Think about Head Boy, Arnold. You want to be Head Boy.

Arnold had been staring at the Midsummer Concert signup sheet for far too long already, deliberating on if he would add his name or not. He didn’t know what the Advanced group would even be doing, but he knew this for sure: they would be getting on stage. While not particularly shy (despite reports to the contrary), Arnold was not really interested in that much attention, either. But being involved would make him look good for the Head Boy position, and Emrys, his roommate, friend, and occasional subtle rival, who held such distinctions as library helper and Prefect, had already signed up. Which meant there was a pretty good chance of Emery signing up too, honestly, and Arnold couldn’t afford to fall behind either of them in the running.

He produced a quill and ink from his pocket, dipping the tip and bringing it dangerously close to the sheet. Being on stage couldn’t be that painful, could it? And maybe they would do something that required less people than they had gotten and he could therefore work backstage with tech or directing. Or anything. Who knew? Either way, he had to risk it. This was the only way.

Shaky hands penned: Arnold Manger, sixth year.

As he stepped back, he found himself wishing his handwriting was more impressive or… something. It looked boring and, what was worse, average. He wanted to stand out, but he supposed that aspect would just have to come from other places.

12 Arnold Manger I guess so? 261 Arnold Manger 0 5

Jake Manger
July 11, 2015 5:41 PM

Jake Manger
Alumnus
House: Teppenpaw
Written by: Casey

Age in Post: 14

Hoping for a boys' club. by Jake Manger
He blinked. Then he blinked again. Once more. He rubbed his eyes.

Every time his eyes came back into focus, Jake found the same results: his brother had signed up for the Concert. By himself. Out of his own free-will. Man, Arnold was so unpredictable this year! Jake had never thought his older brother would start and run his own club, nor did he anticipate him volunteering for stage time. That was really weird, but Jake was really excited about it. Specifically, it meant that he didn’t have to secretly write Arnold’s name for him and then tell him about it later as he had been planning. They wouldn’t be in the same groups, but they’d both be involved, and it was going to be awesome.

So far in the Intermediate group, the only person signed up was Liliana Bannister, a girl. A pretty girl. Damn it! But Jake was pretty sure he could handle it. He was getting better at keeping his glances short and, oddly enough, starting to feel a little less awful about looking. Since he couldn’t stop himself, he was beginning to think it wasn’t really even his fault, and as long as he didn’t do anything weird, it was okay to look, right? Right?

Plus, an audience would be staring at him, so maybe he’d be so caught up in being looked at that he would forget to look back. That would solve the whole problem entirely. He just had to make it through rehearsals with Liliana and any other girl who signed up. But maybe it would end up being mostly boys. Maybe no other girls would sign up at all. Jake was going to be optimistic.

Jake Manger, fourth year, he scribbled quickly. Then he shuffled away from the signup sheet, vowing not to look again until it was closed and rehearsals were planned.

12 Jake Manger Hoping for a boys' club. 280 Jake Manger 0 5

Chloe Jareau
July 12, 2015 4:44 PM

Chloe Jareau
Alumnus
House: Pecari
Written by: Amelle Nicchi

Age in Post: 16

Signing me and my brother up. by Chloe Jareau
Chloe had been staring at the signup sheets for at least five minutes without moving. Some might have assumed she was contemplating whether or not she should sign herself up for the concert, but they would be wrong. Chloe’s mind was somewhere else entirely. She was thinking about everything that had happened this term up until this moment. She couldn’t believe how many of her peers were dealing with their own familial issues that in some ways mimicked her own and how blind she had been in her own worries to not have seen it all before.

Her problems may have been extreme for some, but they were not worse than someone else’s. They were all equal problems that affect everyone and Chloe was being selfish in her indecisiveness on what to do with her own family dynamics. She shouldn’t be putting her own burdens onto others. She didn’t have that right and she felt guilty for bringing it up at all to anyone. She had thought she was being honest with everything, but she was just trying to only make herself feel better.

Going forward, she wouldn’t ask for anything from anyone else. If she had a problem, she would just deal with it herself.

Her parents always wanted her to talk about her feelings and what was going through her head, but her parents were meant to help her take the correct paths in life. Her peers, her friends, they were struggling along beside her. It wasn’t fair for her to be so selfish. She wouldn’t do it anymore.

Taking a breath, Chloe straightened her shoulders and stood taller. It was almost as if whatever weight on her shoulders that was holding her down emotionally was removed and the effect could be seen physically.

Shaking her mind and herself clear of all the negative thoughts she had been having, Chloe put on a smile and pulled out her quill. The easiest way for her to get over everything and at least pretend to be a normal teenager was to dive right into everything. The easiest thing at the moment was the concert. She was already in Dance Club and Archery Club. She was evening thinking about getting into the Art Club and Science club, but she would worry about that later. For now, she signed her name beneath Arnold’s and, after another moment of thought, signed her brother’s as well. He would probably get a little annoyed with her for doing so without asking, but she knew he was never one to make the first step for something like this. Besides, both his male friends had already joined. It was inevitable that he would too.

Chloe Jareau, Sixth Year
Emery Kijewski-Jareau, Sixth Year

Feeling a little better about her predicament, Chloe put her quill back into her bag, her job completed.

6 Chloe Jareau Signing me and my brother up. 267 Chloe Jareau 0 5

Aiden O'Neil
July 12, 2015 8:01 PM

Aiden O'Neil
Alumnus
House: Teppenpaw
Written by: Amelle Nicchi

Age in Post: 13

Signing up. by Aiden O'Neil
Aiden has always been an excitable child. Everything that happened was always something that brought him joy and every change was a full of possibilities for him. That hasn’t changed despite becoming an official teenager a few months ago. Aiden still jumped in excitement for all the little things. He still grinned with such ease and confidence no matter what the situation was that was put in front of him. Aiden had a cheery disposition. It was probably the very reason he had been placed into Teppenpaw instead of Pecari.

His personality made people probably really like him or really hate him. Of course, in Aiden’s world, everyone liked him. He would never be able to understand why someone wouldn’t like him just because he was always so friendly. He didn’t understand the concept that not everyone enjoyed being around someone who was so easily excitable and all around happy. If he did ever figure out that part of people, Aiden would be truly flabbergasted. Wouldn’t they want someone who was happy over someone who was moody?

Not thinking of anything else that would be the least bit distracting to Aiden, he found himself looking at the concert signups. He had no idea what this would entail but he thought that it might be a little fun. He wasn’t really talented in anything, but he could help out behind the scenes if they needed him to or maybe be a tree in the background. He’d be willing to do that. Aiden didn’t mind doing whatever was needed as long as he was helping out his group that’s what mattered.

With a pleased grin on his face, Aiden dug through his bag until he found a working quill and pulled it out so that he could sign the sheet.

Aiden O’Neil, Third Year

He wondered who would be the person to pull them all together if only the Beginners had a Staff Representative… he didn’t think anyone would follow along with him (not that he had any ideas anyway) being that he was only a third year, but would anyone just follow along with whoever decided to take charge? Oh, they probably would if they were signing up for this in the first place.

Aiden shook his head and dropped his quill back into his bag. With that task completed, he walked into the hall to grab a bite to eat before classes started.

6 Aiden O'Neil Signing up. 287 Aiden O'Neil 0 5

Jemima Wolseithcrafte
July 13, 2015 7:48 AM

Jemima Wolseithcrafte
Alumnus
House: Teppenpaw
Written by: Rhy

Age in Post: 12

Just one Wolseithcrafte by Jemima Wolseithcrafte
The fair last year had been fun, and she supposed that balls and bonfires would be too, but the even in the Midsummer rotation that Jemima was most excited about was the concert. She was glad she didn’t have to wait long for it to roll around. She wasn’t sure what she’d do exactly but she wanted to be involved. She thought she would most likely do set painting but it could be interesting to try something new. Ingrid was normally seen as the adventurous one but more because she enjoyed active, borderline dangerous sorts of things - it was Jemima who was most likely to push her own comfort zone and be willing to give different things a go.

When the sign up sheets went up, it really didn’t give her much more information, except that they would be working with the other beginner students and with a Professor. Doing what was not specified. Still, the quickest way to find out would be to be a part of it. Ginger was already enthusiastically signed up too, which gave her even more incentive.

Jemima Wolseithcrafte, 2nd year Teppenpaw. She thought about specifying that she was interested in scenery painting but no one else had said what role they wanted, so she figured it was best to leave that until they had some kind of meeting.

13 Jemima Wolseithcrafte Just one Wolseithcrafte 304 Jemima Wolseithcrafte 0 5

Ji-Eun Park
July 13, 2015 8:04 AM

Ji-Eun Park
Alumnus
House: Pecari
Written by: Rhy

Age in Post: 16

We'll all have so much fun together.... by Ji-Eun Park
It was a good thing the concert hadn’t fallen in her CATS year. She had worried slightly about the fair as, in her first year, students had been encouraged to run booths - and, as a prefect, she really couldn’t have got out of that if they’d done the same thing again. But it had just been fun, something for which she had had to shoulder next to no responsibility. This year was the concert - although participation was, theoretically, voluntary, she knew her mother would expect her to participate. In a way, she felt it was quite lucky that this year was something she could participate in, as hopefully it would strengthen her case for Head Girl. Really, the way the school events had fallen throughout her time at Sonora had been incredibly lucky for her. Furthermore, the groups had been divided by age in the year in which she’d once again escaped being in Jamie’s class. Whilst she doubted her brother wanted to be involved in the concert, he would have no way out if the usual custom of inviting parents to watch was to be observed. But she would not have to work with or be responsible for him.

The only thing to spoil her mood slightly was the sight of both Chloe and Arnold’s names on this list. Whilst they were both her friends and she normally would have been delighted at the chance to spend more time with both of them, her conversation with Chloe at the start of the year made her worried. Ji-Eun was not accustomed to the concept of tough love, and had found it rather hard to take Chloe being critical of her behaviour, mistaking it for a sign that her friend liked her less for how she was behaving, instead of just taking it as the much needed advice that it had probably been intended as. Chloe’s words had stuck, making her wonder and second guess how she should be around Arnold. She hadn’t meant to lead him on and if she’d done it by accident, how was she meant to know whether or not she was still doing it? The thought of Chloe watching her with Arnold and judging her behaviour was very disconcerting.

Still, it wasn’t like participation was voluntary - not really, for her, and so she signed up.

Ji-Eun Park, Pecari 6th year.

13 Ji-Eun Park We'll all have so much fun together.... 268 Ji-Eun Park 0 5

Jamie Park
July 13, 2015 8:17 AM

Jamie Park
Alumnus
House: Pecari
Written by: Rhy

Age in Post: 14

I don't want to by Jamie Park
This was going to be so humiliating. Jamie had no desire to get up on stage and prance about. But he remembered coming to see Ji-Eun’s stupid concert when she’d been a second year. Families were invited. And if Ji-Eun did the concert - which she obviously would - and he didn’t, there would be hell to pay. He was weighing up whether the fury from his mother outweighed the teasing he was likely to get from Uzu. It was a close run thing. It really hinged on whether he got prefect next year… If he did, any past sins would be forgiven and forgotten. If he didn’t, they would be dredged up forever as the reasons he’d failed to achieve what his sister had. He also wouldn’t know about the prefect badge until after summer, so he’d have to put up with the suggestion that he might have jeopardised his chance at it all summer regardless.

His other slim hope was the Uzu might sign up herself. She was so into her dancing, and such a show off. However, she was always snooty about the school events and… well, pretty much everything. He didn’t think she’d take kindly to the idea of being part of a group instead of star of the show. Uzu didn’t really play well with others…

Resigned to a humiliating year, he signed up.

Jamie Park, 4th year Pecari.

13 Jamie Park I don't want to 284 Jamie Park 0 5

Charlie B-F-R
July 13, 2015 8:24 AM

Charlie B-F-R
Peripheral
Written by:

Worry not, your star is here! by Charlie B-F-R
It was concert time! A fitting end to his glorious years as Sonora’s proudest peacock. Charlie couldn’t wait to be up on that stage and to just… be himself. Even if he was pretending to be someone entirely different, doing so was just such a him thing to do. There were some rocky moments ahead on the road through this year. Some resolutions he’d made. Promises to tell certain people certain things… But the idea of going out in a blaze of fabulousness, rising like a phoenix with all those weights off his chest made it seem possible. He had something to aim for out the other side of the predicted misery he thought his confessions would bring.

So far, the rest of the sign ups were sixth years. They weren’t a group he knew all that well - they seemed to have found enough in each other not to seek from the years around them. Between his own tendency to want such things, and the fact that they were younger than him, he couldn’t help but picture himself the star of the show, with them as his back up dancers.

Show tunes running joyfully through his mind, he signed up.

Charlie B-F-R, 7th year Teppenpaw.

0 Charlie B-F-R Worry not, your star is here! 0 Charlie B-F-R 0 5

Laila Kennedy
July 16, 2015 6:51 PM

Laila Kennedy
Alumnus
House: Crotalus
Written by: Mathilde Reinhardt

Age in Post: 11

And one Kennedy. by Laila Kennedy
The sign-ups for the school concert had been up for a couple days before Laila had gone over to them to sign herself up. She had debated over it a couple times which was an odd feeling for her. Back in Turner’s Point she wouldn’t have hesitated signing herself up—being a part of the church choir had rendered her no stranger to performing in front of people and it had been (quite literally) her destiny to join the junior cheerleaders that year had she stayed and gone to a Muggle middle school.

The Kennedys were a big ball family back in Turner’s Point. Her father had been the all-star on the high school basketball team back in the day and her brother was meant to follow in his footsteps. All of Laila’s aunts had been cheerleaders and since before she could remember they had been putting her in little cheerleader outfits and dragging her along to the big games. However, a mysterious letter accompanied with a school official had changed all of that and Laila’d had to settle for summer cheerleading camp.

That particular day Laila was extremely excited because the school’s one sport was having a game day coming up and she had really missed attended basketball games and football matches because even though their town’s team was rather bad it was still a fun thing to rally together for. This excitement carried over as she walked past the sign-ups on her way to lunch and decided (finally) to put her name down.

It would be a good way to branch out past the Reinhardts, she decided, and make new friends. Lord knew she needed more girl friends having left them all behind in Turner’s Point and replacing them with Arne. Plus, she was certain Arne would never put his name down for something like this seeing as he had always sulked in the back of the classroom anytime any of their teachers tried to get them to put on a history thing for the parents.

So it was with glee that she wrote "Laila Kennedy, first year" down in her tiny, neat handwriting and happily went off to see about having a nice sandwich for lunch.

10 Laila Kennedy And one Kennedy. 318 Laila Kennedy 0 5

Gia Donovan
July 19, 2015 6:08 PM

Gia Donovan
Alumnus
House: Pecari
Written by: Amelle Nicchi

Age in Post: 12

Writing my name down, was this a mistake? by Gia Donovan
Gia had gone back and forth over the course of the week trying to decide if she ought to sign up for the concert or not. Last year being so new and worried about what would happen if any one found out about her brother, Gia hadn’t really gotten involved in too much of anything. Her first year had been quite an adventure all on it’s own and she had made some good friends so far.

But now she was a second year now and Gia thought it was time for her to really get herself out there. The concert was probably her best bet. She had joined some of the clubs and was enjoying herself in them, but the concert was something that was new and exciting. From what she had been hearing around the school, these ‘Midsummer Events’ recycled every four years, so this event will again again for her, but they usually changed how the concert would be done. Knowing this was one of the main reasons why she was thinking about joining this year.

The concert might also mean that she would meet more people. When Gia first saw the names on the list, it made her nervous. She had thought about asking Sammy to join her in the concert so that she would have a friend there, but she didn’t think it was very fair of her to put Sammy into that position if she wasn’t interested in being a part of the concert group. Gia had very briefly thought about asking her brother to join too, but she knew he’d flat out refuse and be extremely upset with her if she tried to force him to join her, so she immediately removed that thought from her mind.

Taking a deep breath, Gia took the quill from her bag and signed her name below all the others.

Gia Donovan, 2nd year, Pecari

As soon as she finished signing her name, Gia had the urge to cross it out and run away. But, that would not actually solve anything for her, so she threw the quill back into her bag and sped walked into the Hall and away from the signups before she could do anything more to it.

6 Gia Donovan Writing my name down, was this a mistake? 308 Gia Donovan 0 5

Duncan Brockert
July 21, 2015 8:17 PM

Duncan Brockert
Alumnus
House: Teppenpaw
Written by: Allegra Brockert

Age in Post: 15
Birthday: February 10

Signing up by Duncan Brockert
Normally, Duncan didn't think he'd sign up for the concert, never having any sort of inclination towards anything that was performed on stage. However, the prefect badge weighed heavy on his robes, and while he was proud and his dad was proud of him, he knew there were certain responsibilities. Though this hadn't been listed as one of them, the Teppenpaw still felt an obligation to sign-up.

He put his name down on the list.
Duncan Brockert, fifth year

Then he scanned the other names. He hadn't done this first because it didn't really matter exactly who had joined, he felt like he had to do it anyway. Though Duncan did note that neither Theodore nor Isaac had felt so inclined themselves. Which was fine with him.

He was pleased to see, however, that both Liliana and his new roommate, Jake, had. Both would be fairly easy to work with and seeing as he and his fellow prefect might end up having to be the ones to take charge of the whole thing, he was glad to have back up.

As for the other two, well, Duncan didn't know Aiden O'Neil well, just that he was a Teppenpaw and friends with Savannah. The former fact was sure to at least make him likely pleasant to be around. The final name, he noted, was Jamie Park. He...well, seemed to be rather the opposite of Jake or Aiden. Duncan was slightly worried that they were going to have a tough time with him, that he'd give attitude and be disagreeable.

With a sigh, the fifth year walked away, he was locked into this now and a difficult fourth year was not going to change that.

11 Duncan Brockert Signing up 271 Duncan Brockert 0 5

Chaslyn Brockert
July 21, 2015 9:00 PM

Chaslyn Brockert
Alumnus
House: Crotalus
Written by: Allegra Brockert

Age in Post: 14

Signing up by Chaslyn Brockert
The fact that the concert this year included student involvement had made Chaslyn feel sick to her stomach. She had no choice but to sign up whether she wanted to or not. Parents would surely be coming to watch and it wouldn't have occurred to her to lie and claim she'd been in it when she hadn't been even if they weren't. The Crotalus was a terrible liar anyway.

In fact, sometimes it didn't even seem that Mother believed her when she told the truth. Every time that Chaslyn wasn't the best, wasn't perfect in every way, her mother would berate her for lack of practice, and while she did, while she always did and told Mother just that, Mother would throw back that it sure didn't seem like she had and tell she needed to practice more , that what she was doing wasn't enough. So Chaslyn would practice harder in that particular thing and then not do as well in something else, because she'd been practicing the first thing.

Thanks to Professor Carter's lesson on the Endurance Potion, the Crotalus was getting a bit more done, though she still wasn't sleeping or eating enough. She wanted these things, she was tired and she was hungry. And even with the help it was giving her, it still didn't seem to be enough. It would never be enough, Chaslyn to not just beat her peers in everything but she had to have perfect scores .

Still, being in the Concert would add to her already heavy load-which this year included the addition of another club, she hadn't had to join the science club because she'd found out it was a muggle thing, Mother didn't approve of anything Muggle- but while it was optional for everyone in general, it wasn't for her. The fact that Chaslyn basically hated being on stage, performing in front of people, that she had a tendency to choke in front of scrutinizing eyes including the most scrutinizing pair of eyes of all-Mother's, didn't make having to do this any easier.

Nor did the list of people already signed up. Her heart sank as she looked at the other participants, it was nobody she knew well. While having a cousin signed up made things better, Duncan really didn't count because Chaslyn didn't know him well. Jake was the step-brother of one cousin and the cousin of three other cousins and Aiden was friends with Savannah and roommates with Liac, but she didn't know them really any better than she did Duncan. Then there were the two Pecaris. Liliana was a boisterous outgoing incredibly popular sort and Jamie Park was.....well, he didn't seem like a very nice boy. What if he laughed at her?

With a lump rising in her throat and her hands shaking, Chaslyn signed her name to the list.

Chaslyn Brockert, fourth year.

Now to see if she could get something to eat quick while she studied potions. Her last quiz had not been up to the standards that had been set for her. She could only hope that Liac or one of her cousins decided to sign up for the concert as well.

11 Chaslyn Brockert Signing up 281 Chaslyn Brockert 0 5

Portia Dobson
July 21, 2015 11:27 PM

Portia Dobson
Alumnus
House: Teppenpaw
Written by: Allegra Brockert

Age in Post: 16

Signing up by Portia Dobson
Portia was excited for the concert this term. She'd always loved being the center of attention, being up there for all to see. Especially if she could dress in a beautiful outfit. Of course, the only clothing she had was beautiful, but her wonderful outfits were often covered up by the boring school robes. The same ones everyone else wore every day. Merlin, did Portia ever hate uniforms! At the very least she wished they could be less boring. It was hard to accessorize at times too, but now she'd dropped COMC, DADA, and Potions and could stick to classes where she could mostly look nice at all times.

Unfortunately, there had been very little chance for Portia to stand out here at Sonora. She could say that when able to wear her own clothing for everyone to see that she was among the most stylish and elegantly dressed students at Sonora but as a part of pureblood society, that was expected of her. Portia still thought she was more fashionable than others though.

And yes, she was prefect but there weren't any other Teppenpaws in her year. Though, she reflected, given the other ones who'd been in her house before they'd left, she sure hoped that she'd have gotten the badge anyway.

The other names on the list for the Advanced group gave Portia a moment's pause. With the exception of Charlie, they were all from that clique in her year that had all bonded. She wasn't so bothered by not necessarily bonding with them because she'd never seen herself as having much in common with the lot and while not by any means a shy person, it was still uncomfortable to be the odd one out among a group of good friends. However, this was something Portia wanted to do very much, something she'd rather enjoy.

Besides, well, at least Charlie was there. They weren't especially close either but she liked the older Teppenpaw. He was interested in fashion too, and at the very least, the two of them could make sure the group was well dressed. Portia placed her name on the list, because nothing was going to prevent her from doing what she wanted.

Portia Dobson, sixth year

11 Portia Dobson Signing up 262 Portia Dobson 0 5

Scarlett Brockert
July 23, 2015 8:05 PM

Scarlett Brockert
Alumnus
House: Pecari
Written by: Allegra Brockert

Age in Post: 13
Birthday: March 26

Signing up by Scarlett Brockert
Scarlett had a tendency to be rather impulsive but this didn't always mean she chose to do things right away. She had probably passed the concert sign ups over a dozen times before she gave them a second thought. Or really, rather noticed them at all.

This time, however, even though she'd entered the Hall with omelettes on her mind, the sign-ups managed to distract her. As with most decisions that the Pecari made, this one took but a split second. She was going to do it. Scarlett had always liked being the center of attention, standing out, being recognized. Having an identical twin sort of gave her that need. She loved Savannah more than anyone on Earth, but it was important for them to show that they were not the same person, to have their own identities apart from each other.

It was healthier and it was something that her parents had always encouraged. Even as babies they'd been dressed differently. Color-coded, with Scarlett in pink or red and Savannah in blue. Of course, this was largely done so their parents wouldn't get them mixed up. It stopped happening when they were old enough to know which of them was which. At that point they had occasionally dressed alike at parties because Mother thought it was cute and so did other people. Now the only thing that both twins wore the same was their school robes with their house badges to tell them apart.

She looked over the list. Her sister wasn't on it, which was fine, as she'd never thought this was Savannah's thing, but of course Chaslyn was. Scarlett didn't think it was really the fourth year's thing either but that was different. The twins had options to choose what they did or did not want to do-within reason-their cousin did not.

But Chaslyn's name on the list cemented her decision to sign-up, even though she wasn't having any doubts to begin with. Her cousin needed her. The Pecari placed her name on the list.

Scarlett Brockert, third year

11 Scarlett Brockert Signing up 293 Scarlett Brockert 0 5

Sammy Meeks
July 31, 2015 3:00 PM

Sammy Meeks
Alumnus
House: Pecari
Written by: Casey

Age in Post: 12

Here I am! by Sammy Meeks
Sammy was, she began to notice, not going to grow up very pretty. The notion had always been with her to an extent, and given her rather brash, tomboyish nature, she had never really been too troubled by it. But for whatever reason, as her teenage years became closer on the horizon, she was starting to wonder what people thought of her appearance. She considered herself quite plain and maybe kind of odd, but was it going to be in a charming or even cute sort of way?

She shook the thought out of her head. Who cared, anyway? Instead of doting on it, Sammy decided to head down to the Cascade Hall for some breakfast. After all, Mama need baconnnnn! But when she got there, before she could help herself to equivocally an entire pig’s worth of sizzly strips of goodness, she got distracted by a notice hanging up. The letters weren’t big enough (or maybe her eyes weren’t good enough) to read it at a distance, so reluctantly, she strayed from her designated path to bacon-y heaven in favor of following her curious streak.

In earnest, she was not too terribly disappointed. Admittedly, the flier did not disperse bacon (which would have been so cool! Seriously, magic, get on that!), but it did announce the upcoming Concert and seek volunteers. Well, Sammy was all over that. It seemed like it would be fun! So with a smile, she penned her name quickly before returning to her quest for bacon, a quest that was short but oh so satisfying when resolved.

Sammy Meeks, second year.

12 Sammy Meeks Here I am! 310 Sammy Meeks 0 5

Makenzie Newell
July 31, 2015 3:53 PM

Makenzie Newell
Alumnus
House: Crotalus
Written by: Casey

Age in Post: 13

Sign me up! by Makenzie Newell
Makenzie had gone back and forth about signing up for the Concert for a handful of days now. What exactly the group would be doing was still an unknown factor, and while she could not imagine the school allowing them to present anything too humiliating, but nonetheless, not knowing made her nervous. What if it wasn’t ladylike?

It wasn’t her own standards she worried about meeting, however. It was Dustin’s. Since he got here, he had been a hovering nuisance. She had to do what was right by him, which was almost unachievable, it felt. Dustin’s standards were impossibly and ridiculous; he complained about her handwriting, her posture, and, most recently, her breathing, which, according to him, was too deep and made her seem like she was “trying too hard”.

But beyond those layers of imposed self-consciousness, the redhead thought, plain and simple, that the Concert sounded like fun. And even despite every standard placed upon her, Makenzie felt that she deserved to have a little fun. Everyone did, right? She could be stuffy and boring when she was old, but right now, she was only thirteen years old, and, with a stroke of defiance, she wanted to do this.

Makenzie Newell, third year, she wrote in her sloppiest print. Dustin would surely love it.

12 Makenzie Newell Sign me up! 291 Makenzie Newell 0 5

Lionel Layne
August 04, 2015 12:33 AM

Lionel Layne
Alumnus
House: Pecari
Written by: Grayson Wright

Age in Post: 14

Signing up. by Lionel Layne
When it came to special talents, Lionel would be one of the first to admit that he did not possess a wealth of them. He had attended a Muggle school as a child because both of his grandparents had jobs and couldn’t afford to have him privately tutored and that had involved simple lessons in music and art, but he had not been the best in his classes even at rattling those striped shaker things (he could never remember what they were called) in time or at attaching tiny fins to clay fish in a timely manner. He knew that last one for a fact; his grandmother still had the fish, which only had one side fin. His teacher, trying to hurry him up, had explained that some of the greatest works of art in the world seemed unfinished in some way, specifically mentioning Venus de Milo, but even at eight Lionel had not been naïve enough to believe his clay fish sculpture was a great work of art. His music teacher, on the other hand, had never either specifically discouraged him or tried to give him false hope; indeed, she had mostly ignored him, focusing her attention on the students who were truly gifted or truly atrocious. He had never tried theater unless reading lines in a one-act play in reading class once counted, but since he usually had his feelings all over his face, he didn’t think he had a hidden genius for that, either. He was very…normal.

Because he was aware of all that, he was also aware that he probably had no business joining the Concert, but he was interested in it whether he had any business being interested in it or not. The last one just barely predated his arrival at Sonora, but he had always gotten the idea that it was a really fun event, a time where they could meet people they might not otherwise meet or get to know very well and work with them long enough to maybe bond – if his cousin Alicia was capable of waxing sentimental about the event, the odds had to be better than average. Plus the acts themselves just sounded fun to work on even if they weren’t very good.

He thought though all that, and then forgot to actually sign up for a while. That, he had to admit, did not really speak well of his chances of being deemed Most Awesome Intermediate Group Member, but he signed up when he remembered just the same. Most Awesome was more his cousins’ type of title than his anyway.

Lionel Layne, 4th year

16 Lionel Layne Signing up. 283 Lionel Layne 0 5

Julian Umland
August 04, 2015 12:35 AM

Julian Umland
Alumnus
House: Teppenpaw
Written by: Grayson Wright

Age in Post: 17
Birthday: December 12

Signing up. by Julian Umland
I have enough to do, Julian told herself when she saw the sign-ups for the Concert. She told herself that very firmly, in fact. And it was true. She had a lot of things to do, all of which were probably ultimately more helpful for her CV than participating in the Advanced group of the Concert was. Plus, there was the issue of it being an Advanced group: if they had done it like the one thing she had participated in years ago, where Advanced students led teams of younger students, she might have been all right, but that was because she was more comfortable with younger kids than she was with people in her own year. Her best guess that it was something to do with a combination of the ages in her family and the way the family had come together: when she was little, it had just been her and Steve, who was six years her senior, and then when she’d acquired more brothers, she had turned out, by chance, four years younger than Paul and about four older than John. She was okay dealing with older kids, she was okay dealing with younger kids, but kids her own age were not the porridge temperature she usually found just right. She usually just felt a little awkward around them.

Except Charlie, of course. The major argument for joining up was that he had done so. They did not see each other as much as they used to this year anyway, and if he took on a huge project she wasn’t part of, one which he would undoubtedly find utterly absorbing, she was afraid they might barely see each other at all for the rest of their last year, and not really seeing Charlie at all was not a thought Julian was quite ready to deal with yet. A lot of distance, only occasional cards and visits and such, was inevitable as they moved out into the world, but it didn’t have to start yet. Besides, they surely had some use for someone more low-key in the group, someone who was happy sending out the notes about when rehearsal was and taking notes over meetings and keeping track of who was doing what and how supply acquisition was going and that kind of stuff. That, she knew she could do. Admittedly, she strongly suspected that the Aladrens already signed up could do it, too, but…well, they might think it beneath them or something, or – given that Charlie was highly likely to end up in charge of the ideas – they might even generate enough work for two team secretaries who also had performing roles.

Those arguments won over the more sensible ones about already having too much to do and probably being a bit awkward with her classmates. Trying to hope for the best, she signed up.

Julian Umland, Seventh Year Teppenpaw

16 Julian Umland Signing up. 254 Julian Umland 0 5

Emilia-Louise Scott
August 14, 2015 4:26 AM

Emilia-Louise Scott
Alumnus
House: Aladren
Written by: Joella Curtis

Age in Post: 11

So down for this! by Emilia-Louise Scott
As soon as she became aware of the midsummer concert sign ups, Emmy-Lou knew it was something she wanted to participate in. She just had to. Although not entirely sure as to what exactly they would be doing, she assumed it included acting or some other performing art. It didn't really matter. Emmy-Lou was excited about the prospect of simply getting up on stage in front on an applauding audience.

Emilia-Louise Scott, 1st year

She signed her name in the beginner's group, glancing at the other names to see who she would be working with. She hoped the concert would provide her with plenty of opportunity to get to know her peers better since socialising was one of the best parts of going to school. Emmy-Lou hoped to have attained some fun friends by the end of the year.

A big smile on her face, Emmy turned and made her way toward the Aladren table where she could quite possibly engage in some interesting conversation with another member of her house whilst she ate her breakfast. She rather thought the croissants were calling out to her today.

8 Emilia-Louise Scott So down for this! 313 Emilia-Louise Scott 0 5

Joella Curtis
August 14, 2015 4:35 AM

Joella Curtis
Alumnus
House: Pecari
Written by: Joella Curtis

Age in Post: 13

Last minute decisions. by Joella Curtis
Joella had been um-ing and ah-ing over signing up to the intermediate midsummer concert group ever since she'd laid eyes on the notice. Not only could it be quite fun, she also realised it might give her the chance to hang out with people she wouldn't otherwise do so. Despite this notion she did regularly check the list for names of classmates she was more familiar with. Liliana was encouraging and then Scarlett had signed up, and Lionel... And then others like Jake Manger who she knew to be interested in Quidditch but had never had much of a chance to familiarise herself with.

Joella Curtis, 3rd year

She scrawled her name and year on the appropriate section of the sheet, finally making up her mind. Because why not? She couldn't think of a reason not to take part in the concert. She'd get to have fun with other students outside of the classroom, some who she already knew and others that she would be keen to get to know.

Joella was naturally quite an outgoing character and whilst she didn't seek attention in the same way some of her extended family members did, she had never been one to shy away from an audience.

She wasn't entirely sure as to what kind of act her group would be performing exactly but the notice seemed to imply that it was their choice, considering the beginners only required a professor for supervision.

8 Joella Curtis Last minute decisions. 295 Joella Curtis 0 5