School of the High Inquisitor of Tiegang

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The School of the High Inquisitor of Tiegang is a prestigious boarding school located in the Blackfriars district of the international settlement of Tiegang. Built from the ruins of several old Antican houses, the school functions to educate the children of the elites of the city and of the wider Micrasian world, in order to prepare them for their lives as leaders of the world or as important noblemen and women of their respective nations. Currently, there are 1,800 students enrolled at the school, with children being admitted at the age of 9, and graduating the year they turn 18. The school is run by a High Inquisitor, who is appointed by the Mandate Council.

The school sits on a large site that is surrounded by a defensive wall on the edge of the Blackfriars district, though it is said that there is a secret passage that connects the school's grounds to the cellar of the Blackfriars' Redux. The school is made up of several buildings, housing various classrooms, as well as extensive grounds upon which there are several sports facilities, a stables and a forest.

Many of the staff live on site, as do many of the children, due to the nature of the school being a boarding school.

History

The school was founded in 1598 as a local boarding school in the city of Tyrenia, and survived throughout the years and various iterations of rulers of the city as a free independent school by making deals with the various governments of the area. This saw a variety of thoughts from around Micras influence the school, until 1687 and the establishment of Tiegang as an independent city state as part of the International Mandate for the Settlements in Apollonia, where the school suddenly became an institution of importance to the state. The school now exerts some level of influence on the government, with the children of many of the councillors enrolled at the school. In 1700 AN the school enrolled two junior cadets from the Hurmu Constabulary. Tales told by the two of a further ten boys hiding in the neighbouring asylum and adjacent pub were silenced by a gentle cuffing on the part of their new house master.

In 1708, several students from the Newbies and Morons class represented the Mandate in the Microvision Song Contest. The students wrote the song and practised during their music lessons with the new music teacher, an Istvanistani named Mr. Black, who was renowned for his unorthodox teaching styles.

Enrolment

The school admits children from the age of 9, on condition that one of four entry requirements is met:

  • the child passes a notoriously hard entrance exam known as the Tough S.H.I.T. Entrance Examination with a score of 100%,
  • the family of the child pays the school a fee equivalent to 250,000,
  • at least one parent of the child is a regular patron of the Blackfriars' Redux, or
  • a family member of the child performs a satisfactory mating ritual with a senior member of the school's staff.

Any child that does enrol at the school must be fluent in Istvanistani, as it is the language of instruction at the school, with the school limiting admittance to just 200 pupils per age group. The school is co-educational and open to children of all backgrounds that can meet one of the entry criterion.

Education

Children are welcomed into the school at the age of 9 and complete nine years of education at the school, leaving once they reach the age of 18. Children stay on campus all year with the exception of the summer months, when they return home, whilst children can apply to go home for religious or cultural festivals.

Each school year is known by a collective name; Newbies (age 9–10), Morons (age 10–11), Idiots (age 11–12), Little shits (age 12–13), Arrogant pricks (age 13–14), off-brand sentient Pokémon (age 14–15), Dickheads (age 15–16), Storish wannabies (age 16–17) and Alcoholics (age 17–18).

Subjects

Children are taught a variety of subjects throughout their time at the school. Children are required to study at least 14 subjects throughout their school career, with a core curriculum being set until the age of 14, where children become free to choose to specialise in whatever subjects they are interested in. Some subjects are mandatory throughout a child's entire time at the school;

  • Istvanistani
  • Mathematics
  • Native language (if different to Istvanistani)
  • Foreign languages (children must study at least one non-native and non-Istvanistani language throughout their entire life at school)
  • Natural sciences (includes Human Biology, Animal Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Astronomy)
  • Sports (children take part in a variety of physical and sporting activities, with special emphasis on horse riding and football)

Some subjects are mandatory until the age of 14, after which they become optional as children specialise;

  • Geography
  • History of Apollonia
  • History of Micras
  • Cooking (the school has a heavy emphasis on baking)
  • Design
  • Classical art
  • Music
  • Cultural studies

Some subjects are not taught until the age of 14, after which they become optional;

  • Psychology
  • Social studies
  • Democratic political leadership
  • Authoritarian political leadership
  • Animal husbandry
  • Business studies
  • Film studies (only offered to those students the school believes may struggle to pass their other subjects)
  • Torture
  • Political studies
  • Diplomatic studies
  • Alcohol studies (taught at the Blackfriars' Redux, from the age of 16)

Furthermore, there are two studies which are mandatory throughout the school, but are non-core subjects in which students are not examined in;

  • Fundamental Understanding of Coital Knowledge (with parental approval)
  • Religious studies (students study their own individual faith if they have one)
  • Ethics (children are taught a variety of ethical understandings, and tackle difficult ethical questions)

Leaving ceremony

At the end of their studies at the age of 18, those students who have performed sufficiently enough to graduate are invited to a leaving ceremony. Here, each student is given a formal certificate of their diploma, which lists their grades across their various disciplines of study. These certificates are handed out by the High Inquisitor in the school's main hall, infront of an audience of Tiegang's nobles, with students being allowed to invite up to six people to witness. Students wear gold and red robes whilst receiving their diplomas. After this, students are escorted outside, where they traditionally mock anyone who has failed to pass. Should their be no such students, a random pauper (or slave, in previous, and potentially more recent, years) is taken from off the streets and the students mock them instead. After this display of public humiliation, students are given time to mingle and celebrate. Students then receive a pint of Tiegang's finest bitter on behalf of the Blackfriars' Redux, as well as a loaf of bread courtesy of Nikola's Bakery, as they make their way back into the main hall for the festivious banquet of graduation. This banquet is complete with speeches by various dignitaries.

Staff

The staff come from a variety of places from across Micras. The current High Inquisitor of the School (sometimes referred to as Headmaster) is the Senyan Joseph Hand. He took over the running of the school in 1691 by appointment of the Mandate Council. Many of the school's senior management are either councillors or are close friends/confidents of councillors. However, many of the staff are drawn from across Micras.

The school employs several dozen members of staff. Staff are screened by the police and are interviewed by several patrons of repute in the basement of the Blackfriars' Redux. Each subject has its own specialist teacher who sets the curriculum, with core subjects and some other subjects having two additional teachers to split the workload of the children, whilst several tutors are employed by the school to assist them with other aspects of their school life.

The school has also greatly benefited from access to a plethora of prominent international figures, obliged to spend time in the International Mandate for reasons often entirely beyond their control, who are willing to accept a teaching post for the duration. One such individual was Li Suyi, who served as a cohort tutor for the alcoholics between 1704 AN and 1707 AN whilst also teaching classes on authoritarian political leadership. Alexis Jakes, who had previously served on the Dark Berry Islands' Council of Women took the post of teacher of democratic political leadership in 1727 following her resignation and subsequent years out from public life.

Links with other institutions

The School of the High Inquisitor of Tiegang is well connected to many other institutions around Micras. The School maintains links with a number of universities around Micras, who all accept diplomas given out by the school. The school also has a relationship with the Craitish CÓNECT academy, who provide football coaching to the youngsters during their sports classes, the best of whom are often brought in to play for the local football club, Blackfriars FC. The school uses the Blackfriars Stadium for sporting events and occasional sports classes where possible, although the school does have its own sports field to use if the stadium is unavailable. Furthermore, the school holds relationships with several other institutions within the city of Tiegang. These include Saint Richard's Asylum, who help provide pastoral care for the students and staff, as well as the Blackfriars' Redux pub, of whom many staff members are patrons and is where the school holds its Alcohol studies classes, which is reserved for select students aged 16 and above. Children are also taught how to bake bread by the local bakery during their cooking lessons, which has lead to the school's heavy emphasis on baking.

From an educational standpoint, the school offers an exchange programme with schools in Raspur, and academic runs events in conjunction with the University of Svorgas in Senya.

Graduates of the School are also welcome at the Benacian Academy, subject to a suitability evaluation, which can usually be undertaken by a registered Humanist Institute in return for a negotiated fee.

Notable staff

  • Joseph Hand (1691–present) – Headmaster
  • Alexis Jakes (1727–present) – Professor of Democratic political leadership
  • Li Suyi (1704–1707) – Professor of Authoritarian political leadership, cohort tutor

Notable former students