When the Bell Rings, 2012

Hapar, spring, 2012

Principal: Ilila Peterson; Secondary Teacher: Simlish & History: Jesse Kent; Secondary Teacher: Math & Science: Krissy Thorn

Secondary Students: Myra Shazad, Naraj Shazad, Bryant Grey, and Annie Grey are in 11th grade; Rex Mendenhall, Abel Wilsonoff, Amanda Wilsonoff and Serendipity Herendez are in 10th grade; Ashlee Dawson, Veronika Kent and Laci McMillian are in the 9th grade; Aaron Sweeny and Simora Sweeny are in the 8th grade

The latest rumor involved Bryant and depending on who you ask, it was different. The first rumor was that he was caught in the supply closet with Ashlee in a very intimate position. Their three day suspension and the spur of the moment lecture on woohoo was perhaps proof of that rumor's validity.

The other rumor was that Amanda had grabbed him in a kiss at the skating rink one evening, she didn't explain why, but others noted that she made sure that Naraj saw them.

The final rumor was that he gave Serendipity a "fever blister" or at least she hoped it was a fever blister and nothing more sinister.

Bryant's romantic adventures were overshadowed by two big events this spring, the annual university fair and the field trip to the brand new science facility.

The teens broke into groups and explored every area of the facility. Laci and Veronika enjoyed the fish section the most,

but then again, most of the teen girls enjoyed that section since Mr. Anthony Wren was in charge of that section and all he was wearing was a tight wetsuit that defined everything the girls whispered and giggled.

In between short lectures from their science teacher,

the teens were able to perform tests and

hands on experiments with all sorts of equipments and the local scientists.

Everything from experiencing warp speed,

to psychological brain mapping experiments,

testing various planting techniques,

and exploring ancient artifacts.

The teens also had some free time to enjoy the science facility's gardens.

Naraj watched the two girls chatting with each other and smiled on the outside, but inside he was so confused.

He was dating Annie, at least that's what they said, however sometimes it felt like she didn't really care one way or the other. Then there was Amanda, he loved seeing her smile and the way her eyes crinkled, but she was his best friend and he couldn't do anything about it, especially since he was dating Annie, which brought him back to the beginning of his circular argument.

"So why did you kiss him then?"

Amanda shrugged, she knew why, at least it made sense then, but now not so much. "I just wanted to know what it was like, besides why is it such a big deal? Are you guys the only ones allowed to have romance? Am I supposed to be single forever?"

Annie laughed, "No silly, but why kiss him if you don't like him."

Amanda shot her a glance that Naraj didn't fail to miss. It was as if the look said, but you can?
---

The teens fidgeted in their seats as they listened to Dr. Johan Shazad give the introduction.

He used to be the principal of the academy, but with the last election, he moved onto teaching at Pierce University fulltime. Now he was instructing them about the importance of higher education and how they will have a great opportunity to chat with university representatives from all over the simnation.

Some of the younger students were paying undivided attention to the brief lecture,

while others were a bit more distracted,

or discouraged.

The university fair was large, and the teens were unaware that there were so many options available to them. That was one of the goals of Ilila was to expose them to other universities and hoods. She was especially pleased because of the recent grant the school won. The grant would allow her to pay for each teen to visit up to two interhood universities.

Naraj spent most of his time at the table for Pierce University, he knew that the medical school was top notch, but he wanted to receive advice on if he should consider attending a different school for his undergraduate degree and then return for graduate studies.

Amanda spent most of her time at the University of Rockport's table. She couldn't help but get excited as the representative taught her the fight song, "I rock, You rock, We rock!"

The school's large campus and metropolitan location appealed to her. She had dreams about getting out of Apple Valley, if only for university. She could already see herself walking the streets of Rockport going to class, meeting boys and having a great time. Based on what the representative shared she would probably apply for the Arts division and if she kept working on her skating skills she might be eligible for the extracurricular grant.

Abel and Myra were pleasantly surprised to see a representative from Wiltech at the university fair.

They got most of their questions answered and Abel was able to learn a bit more about their programs since Myra already knew that she would be applying for their robotics program.

Abel on the other hand was interested in their small business administration program, especially the supply chain management, and their massage therapy program sounded interesting.

At the University of Riverdale's table, Bryant felt like he had found heaven. The more he learned about the school, especially their great fraternity system, he knew that he would be applying there. He knew that Harvis MacAstral had attended school there and he just wished that he could make a visit to the campus. It didn't matter, since it was is first choice. No doubt about that, as he looked at the cute girls in the brochure.

His twin sister, Annie, also seemed convinced that Cahill University in Heredon Cove was created just for her. However, she also said the same thing about Mount Braynon University in Simberry Fields.

She really couldn't decide. Both universities had history departments that were top notch and they were known for producing the best in the industry.

The classes were small, according to the representatives, so Annie could expect individual attention during her stay in Heredon Cove or Simberry Fields. Now she just had to decide which one to apply to.

Ilila smiled as she listened to the teens excitedly chat about the universities they had encountered and secretly hoped that there would be at least a few teens leaving Apple Valley to broaden their horizions and return with excellant educations.
---
So a few of my teens are going on university campus visits and starting applications. It's exciting and I feel almost like a parent, watching them explore their options and decide on which universities to attend and wondering if they will return to Apple Valley when they finish their studies or move onto another hood.

Annie, Bryant and Amanda visited Mount Braynon