When The Bell Rings, Part 2, 2010

Hapar, spring, 2010

Principal: Johan Shazad; Secondary Teacher: Simlish & History: Jesse Kent; Secondary Teacher: Math & Science: Krissy Thorn

Secondary Students: Wendy Keller, Si'Enya Warwick and Rojo Herendez are in 12th grade; Elphy Mendenhall is in the 11th grade; Myra Shazad, Naraj Shazad, Grace Elise Dawson, Bryant Grey, and Annie Grey are in 9th grade; Rex Mendenhall, Abel Wilsonoff, Amanda Wilsonoff and Serendipity Herendez are in 8th grade; Ashlee Dawson, Veronika Kent and Laci McMillian are in the 7th grade

Optional soundtrack: How Will I Know-Keke Palmer

When the Bell Rings, Part 1, 2010

Hapar, spring, 2010

Principal: Johan Shazad; Secondary Teacher: Simlish & History: Jesse Kent; Secondary Teacher: Math & Science: Krissy Thorn

Secondary Students: Wendy Keller, Si'Enya Warwick and Rojo Herendez are in 12th grade; Elphy Mendenhall is in the 11th grade; Myra Shazad, Naraj Shazad, Grace Elise Dawson, Bryant Grey, and Annie Grey are in 9th grade; Rex Mendenhall, Abel Wilsonoff, Amanda Wilsonoff and Serendipity Herendez are in 8th grade; Ashlee Dawson, Veronika Kent and Laci McMillian are in the 7th grade

Optional soundtrack: How Will I Know-Keke Palmer

A Heartbeat, 2009

Lovar, spring, 2009
Lainey Lorde, S'Ahmisa Warwick and Verde Herendez are seniors. Benjamin Endeavor is 22, Ming Wuu is 22 and Rashid Cunningham is 22, Krissy Thorn is 24, Alphonso Pentragnani is 26
Optional Soundtrack "I Wish I Wasn't" Heather Headley

S'Ahmisa wordlessly helped Lainey bring the last of her things into the apartment. She didn't question when she got the tearful call from her begging to move in. She didn't question the fact that it was two simweeks before graduation and all the seniors were finishing up their final exams, or the fact that Lainey and Verde were living together up until then.

Even Ming knew that the situation was serious and didn't say anything callous, after all, loosing a child wasn't a joking matter.

A Different Story, 2008

Lovar, spring, 2008

Ming Wuu and Benjamin Endeavor are seniors, Lainey Lorde, S'Ahmisa Warwick and Verde Herendez are juniors.

Benjamin figured that his senior year was meant to be a pretty important one. He made sure that he didn't keep his nose stuck in the books and instead enjoyed his young life, the last hurrah before the real world rudely slapped him in the face and kicked him in the balls.

Get in the Door, 2007

Lovar, spring, 2007

Emma Seavey is a senior, Ming Wuu and Benjamin Endeavor are juniors, Lainey Lorde, S'Ahmisa Warwick and Verde Herendez are sophomores.

Lainey sometimes wondered if she had the word fool written on her forehead. Sometimes it was painfully obvious that Verde still had a thing for his ex-girlfriend.

What I'm Looking For, Part 4, 2006

Lovar, spring, 2006

Krissy Thorn and Bill Carr are seniors, Emma Seavey is a junior, Susie MacAstral and Benjamin Endeavor are sophmores, Lainey Lorde, S'Ahmisa Warwick and Verde Herendez are freshmen.

It had been a while since Pierce University had saw graduates from Apple Valley. Johan was more than happy to be residing over the graduating class. The ceremony would be quick and simple, two bachelor degree awards and two associate degree awards, one of which was going to his lovely wife.

The graduates tried not to look bored, so many this was a necessary evil and their minds were occupied with thoughts of babies and marriage.

Others were excited and proud to finally make it this far.

"Congratulations to Ms. Jadhira Shazad for receiving an Associate's Degree of Applied Science."

"Congratulations to Ms. Susie MacAstral for receiving an Associate's Degree of Fine Arts. Ms. MacAstral plans on continuing to teach dance part-time at Apple Valley Academy."

"Congratulations to Mr. Bill Carr for receiving a Bachelor's Degree in Physics. Mr. Carr has accepted a job with the Veronika Kent Medical Centre as a Lab Assistant."

"Congratulations to Ms. Krissy Thorn for receiving a Bachelor's Degree in Mathematics as well as the Dean's Award of Excellance. Ms. Thorn has accepted an assignment in Kimikura teaching high school calculus for a simyear."

----

"Congratulations, Susie." her family beamed as they posed for pictures in the new university garden.

Faith didn't mind that she was also supposed to graduate this year if she had stayed in university, well if she hadn't been kicked out.

"I'm so proud of you," Anthony whispered kissing her cheek.

"Thank you,"

"Now we can start planning our wedding."

"Um...yea...sure." Susie said forcing a smile for the camera.

Bill was silent as the camera clicked. He had his degree and he was an adult and responsible for his own choices now. "Congratulations, we're proud of you." Jesse said patting his son on the back.

"You did a good job," Fiona echoed. "Remember your aunt and uncle are coming to the house for dinner to celebrate."

---
"Did Bill tell you that he's engaged?" Fiona asked her sister-in-law.

"You're engaged, that's wonderful news." Suzanna said to the couple, ignoring Bill's look of discomfort.

"Thank you," Emma said smiling. She had been smiling eversince Bill handed her the small ring and mumbled "I guess you're getting what you wanted." She wanted to insist that he get on his knee and properly ask her, but she knew that she would be pushing her luck.

"Have you decided on a wedding date?"

"We're going to get married this summer, but Emma wants to have a formal wedding after the baby is born."

"Can you believe that Bill is all grown up now?" Fiona asked, turning to her sister-in-law. "He's a college graduate and soon he'll be a husband and a father."

"Lots of big changes coming soon, are you ready?"

"I can't help but be ready," Bill mumbled.

---

• Bill graduated with a 3.2 in Physics. He is a lab assistant with the Veronika Kent Medical Centre and is looking to get a job with a big science company. He is still adjusting to the thought that he will soon be father and husband.

• Susie graduated with a 2.8 in Fine Arts with a Dance concentration. She is continuing to teach part-time at the local school while auditioning for dance roles.

• Fiance, Anthony surprised her with a ballet barre in the apartment living room to help her along her way.

• Krissy gave a riveting speech at the graduation ceremony and graduated with a 3.9 in Mathematics. She is looking forward to her simyear long stint in Kimikura.

My Sweet Blossom, 2005

Patar, summer, 2005
mini-update "How are you feeling, honey?"

S'Ahmisa glanced up into the smiling face of her mother. "I'm excited and a bit nervous."

"I'm sure everything will go well."

S'Ahmisa was confident of that much. Somehow in spite of all the preparation, she was still nervous about her graduation ceremony. It was something different, that much was true, but it was so different that she couldn't describe to Verde how it would go.

"I can't believe we're going to be leaving Kimikura soon." Sandy said listlessly.

The table grew quiet as the family considered that in a matter of simdays they would return to Apple County and leave Kimikura where they spent so much time.

"Do you think I'll be able to fit in?" Si'Enya asked, nervously chewing her lip.

"Of course," S'Ahmisa countered. "You'll do more then fit in, you'll be popular, yes you're gonna be popular!"

The girls giggled at the reference to their favorite Broadway play.

"Whoa, I'm going wear pants for the first time in ages!" S'Ahmisa thought as she took another bite of her meal.

S'Ahmisa slowly sipped the hot liquid. It was a few hours until her graduation ceremony would begin and she was taking some time to relax and compose the butterflies in her belly. She heard a strange noise on the wind and glanced around. The garden was empty this time of day and she didn't see a sim in sight, but she heard him. She knew he was there. She put the tea cup down and walked slowly to the edge of the garden.

"My sweet blossom, you will be leaving me soon."

S'Ahmisa took a step back at the sudden onslaught of his presence. Her face grew warm as he stared at her.

"I am."

"Ah, yes, it is time for you to blossom like the dawn. You will do well tonight."

"Thank you."

"My sweet blossom, you will return to me." He whispered before disappearing into a strange cloud of mist leaving S'Ahmisa in a daze and the imprint of his touch burned into her skin.

S'Ahmisa folded her hands in the reverential pose outside the door. Her family was behind her as well as the school's headmistress.

"I ask for the wind that brings the sweet smell of cherry blossoms to us."

She opened her palms towards the sky and lifted her head as the ancient kimikurian language continued to slip from her tongue.

"I ask for the rain that cleanses the soil beneath us."

After reciting the ancient honors, the large steel door opened. S'Ahmisa bowed low before the opening three times, her family followed her example. She waited until the voice called out to her in kimikurian fashion.

"Enter, young blossom."

"Are you honorable?" He asked.

"You are to deem my honor tonight."

"Are you wise?"

"You are to deem my wisdom tonight." She replied in a low voice.

"Are you courageous?"

"You are to deem my courage tonight."

He directed her to a small humble table set with earthen pots.

"Serve the tea."

S'Ahmisa bowed low and reached for the pot. It was empty. She glanced at the man who was rumored to hold generations of wisdom. He merely watched.

"I prefer the tea from the belladonna plant. It blooms only on nights like these on the cliffs of the mountains."

S'Ahmisa nodded.

"It is best brewed with the water from the river cooled by the wind. I will wait here for my tea."

S'Ahmisa bowed and quickly left the small compound. Her family and headmistress watched as she performed the tasks quickly. The tea leaves were on a small model of a mountain and the river was a small nearby well. The ancient speech had not been changed, but for liability reasons, the school made the tasks much simplier.

After serving the tea, the wise man glanced at S'Ahmisa.

"You have met an interesting sim."

She nodded. "I have."

"He will be your protector. Relish your time with him when you meet again, do not hold regrets."

With those words, the wise man summoned the family before him and he presented S'Ahmisa was her diploma along with the help of the headmistress.

"You will travel to the very ends of the earth, bringing about joy and hope to many sims. Your home will be in many places, but your heart will always remain true. Congratulations, young blossom. Now go into your destiny."

S'Ahmisa was happy it was all over and she held the aged scrolled paper with her degree.

"Congratulations!" Si'Enya said as the family chatted with the headmistress. "You did amazing."

"Thanks," she said smiling.

---

S'Ahmisa graduated with an A and will be attending Pierce University to study economics and political science. She received four scholarships as well as a coveted internship in Simmington Hills under Mayor Sabien Cunningham.

School's Out for Summer! 2005

Lovar, spring, 2005
mini-update
The younger students are anxious about summer vacation. Many of them have big plans of watching cartoons all day or eating popcorn for breakfast. A few of them are signed up for a summer camp at Yellow Lake Isle.

Johan struggles to teach the elementary class. He's not a fan of the younger students, he much perfers teaching older students, but with the new changes that he and Rebecca are discussing, it will be increasingly harder to qualify to teach college level students. He honestly thinks that if he could concentrate on only being principal of the academy and managing the education for the hood, then he would be content. Thankfully, he received a promising application from a young teacher, Illia Peterson.

Two lengthly phone interviews later and he had offered her the job of elementary teacher. She had to think about it and discuss it with her husband, but Johan knew that her answer would be yes. It had to be, her husband, Brandon Peterson, had recently accepted an offer to move to Apple Valley as the new military advisor.

He was right, she did accept the position and she would start that fall. Johan could hardly wait, soon he would never have to have recess duty again.

Not that the screaming voices of hyperactive children were annoying, but Johan preferred the quieter aspects of his educational job. He longed to spend hours in his office tweaking the curriculm and leading the hood to become a premir place to educate young minds.

Thankfully, the county council gave Johan a fair amount of simoleans to manage this simyear. There were some notable changes, such as the small vegetable garden that the students tended. The profits from selling the produce would go to the school and provide a small bit of income.

Some of the produce would be used in the new cafeteria. All students now recieved free lunch at school thanks to the increase of taxes.

Most of the students loved picking out their own lunch, be it mac-n-cheese, or syrup covered pankcakes.

The junior high and high school students were now combined in one secondary class. Jesse didn't mind being in charge of the 12-18 year olds, as long as he could keep them focused.

Johan had enough funding to hire Susie MacAstral, an university student majoring in dance, to teach a few classes each week. The plan was that after the initial introduction to dance, parents would then have the option to pay for their child to attend dance class during their elective period. Right now, Susie was coming in once a week as she was still recovering from an illness.

Johan could tell that music class had started, the sound of a student's screaches,

accompanied with the scratches on the brand new violin

and the slow plucks from the piano.

"Very good," Nicole encouraged the young group as they struggled through "Over the Double Moons"

Johan could tell that she was still under the weather, her voice was a bit hoarse and her energy level seemed low. Thankfully, this week was the last week for elective classes as the next few weeks would be skill exams for all grades.

*****

A few days later, Johan stood in front of the small crowd. It was graduation time again.

Today, young Verde Herendez, would be leaving the academy and joining the ranks at Pierce University.

As a surprise, S'Ahmisa flew in from Kimikura to attend the ceremony, her own graduation ceremony wasn't until early summer.

Verde was excited, now school was an option, no longer a requirement. His parents were just thankful that he passed the skill exams and that his entrance scores were enough to gain his admission into Pierce University.

"Congratulations, Verde." Johan said as the young man stepped to the podium to receive his coveted diploma.

"Congratulations," S'Ahmisa said giving him a quick kiss before his family swept him away for photo ops.

She was proud of him, even though he barely made it through, he did make it. He was so different from her. She was prepared for years for this day. She had studied intently for her entrance exams and passed them with a score that few sims would laugh at. Her acceptance letter from Pierce University had arrived simweeks ago and with it several scholarship offers. S'Ahmisa had even scored an interhood internship in Simmington Hills, working underneath Mayor Cunningham.

Meanwhile, Verde had a meeting with Johan the following week to discuss his future plans. Yes, he had his acceptance letter to Pierce University, but he lacked the scholarship offers that S'Ahmisa had. At the moment, he also lacked an internship, though he perferred to spend his last summer before university enjoying the sun and working out.

His family, on the other hand, had plans for him to work in the art gallery if he didn't get an internship.

Congratulations, Verde Herendez. Verde graduated with a C (barely) and will be attending Pierce University. At the moment, he has no idea what he will major in.

---

Here's a shot of S'Ahmisa at the graduation. You'll see a brief update of her kimikurian graduation ceremony soon.