The Anima Adoption Academy
After a number of major events, along with the various unhappy happenings that occurred in the old Facility, it was decided that it would be best if the whole AAA operation were moved to a more defensible location, away from the downtown area of Silverbrook. Though the activities of kidnappers, HAAEE and CoN certainly spurred the move onto a faster track, the biggest reason for wanting this change was very simple - we needed to start treating these children as children, and not lab experiments, or pets in a shop window.
So the Facility of old was left behind and AAA was moved out to a very beautiful new campus. The campus sits on 85 acres of land on the outskirts of Silverbrook in the foothills near one of the reservoirs. This new campus will feel much more like a school campus, rather than an underground bunker. The buildings are styled after a much more modern tech feel.
Security
The first checkpoint you pass when coming onto campus is a high stone wall and security office. You must make an appointment or have the credentials necessary to get in past the gate. This is the only breach in the campus wall to enter, and unbeknownst to most, there is a second section to the wall that is electrified. No sneaking on to this campus! (Sadly that also means it is very difficult, near impossible to sneak out, as tempting as that might be. Remember, if we can sneak out the bad guys can sneak IN and they have explosives and guns!). There are many surveillance cameras, motion sensors, and other security protocols as well as armed guards around the campus. (Most are on the outside perimeter, but all Security personel in the Academy carry a firearm.)
Campus and Entry
After passing this initial checkpoint, the beautiful campus sprawls out before you. Great care has been taken in every area, including the landscaping, where any existing large trees were left where ever they could be, and big lawns and flower gardens adorn the drive up. The buildings are of a lighter tan color where there aren’t huge panes of glass to allow in a great deal of natural light. The main building is three floors. You enter into a lobby with a check-in desk and a receptionist, as well as security to get further onto the campus. Each area inside the buildings must be gotten into via keycard readers and in the most secure areas, retinal and voice scan (in the labs themselves they prick your finger and do a blood DNA test for access). Companion Collars can also serve as the childrens' key cards, and are coded to their rooms and any other areas they have access to.
Main Building
In the main building there are areas open to the public without escort, off to the right. These areas include a waiting room, auditorium, and gallery. The gallery contains some of the stories of the companions who are at the Academy, especially those who are still seeking adoptive homes. The campus and its buildings are littered with local artwork, sculptures, paintings, and photographs, many of which have come from the hands of the Companions who call Silverbrook home. Local artisans were petitioned to enliven the place at every turn. To the left on the main floor of the building you will need an escort to go further, and this is where many of the conference rooms are for potential adoptions.
The second floor of the main building boasts offices for the staff, in particular the teachers and psychologists who make a living at the academy. Most of the psychologists will meet with Companions in this section of the building. Companion collars allow the kids up to the office floor but will not unlock any of the office doors, so students can make their way to appointments without requiring an escort (unless of course they are too tiny to go on their own). Teachers will also hold office hours on the weekends (probably once a month) for students to stop by for tutoring or help.
Hospital and Labs
Behind the main building there are a number of additional buildings. To the left is the onsite hospital. Long term patients, as well as the nursery, can be found on the second floor (lots of natural light to be had!) and this is where companions with serious medical issues, or people choosing to go through Pseudo treatment, are kept. The rooms are larger and much more personalized, and the beds are not hospital beds (approval to hang pictures, real furniture to keep belongings, etc are all allowed in these rooms). There is a personal bathroom attached to each room, with a shower/tub combo. Janitorial staff will take care of maintaining the bathrooms and these bedrooms, usually during a scheduled treatment time so as not to disturb the patient.
The bottom floor of the hospital is for treatments, checkups, and emergency care (all of these have been split into wings of course). Beneath the hospital is where all of the lab work happens. This is only accessible via keycard, DNA, and retinal verification.
The hospital, labs, and psychiatrists work as a functioning hospital. There is someone manning them 24/7 and though of course they get days off, many of the doctors and psychs also have on-call hours when they aren't on campus but can be brought in for emergencies.
Companion Living
The multistoried dormitory is set up for more apartment style housing. There are apartment 'pods' of 6 bedrooms each that share 2 bathrooms and 1 common area. This is to encourage socialization, and makes it possible for siblings to live in the same quarters. Curfews are set so Companions must go to their own rooms for lights out: 9:30PM for younglings, 11:00PM for Ados, no curfew for YAs. There will be consequences for not making it to your room by lights out - the rooms do account for your presence automatically as you walk through the door for lights out. Rooms will lock and be unable to be opened except in emergencies or for bathroom use until 6AM. There are phones in every room to call for help in case of medical emergencies. Rooms come predecorated, though trading things between rooms like bedding is not uncommon. For those who do not have their own clothing, academy outfits consisting of a plain smock and shorts, swimsuits, and other necessary clothing items are in the dressers. There is enough room for a twin bed, a desk, and a dresser.
Familiars and Pets are allowed with their Companions, but they are your responsibility so make sure your podmates get to know them!
The Common Area of the pod is big enough to comfortably accommodate about 10 occupants and has a couch and some chairs as well as a TV and a table for study groups. There is NO kitchen, as they pose far too high a risk of fire or injury. Minifridges may be allowed in rooms on a case-to-case basis. We have a cafeteria for a reason!
Bathrooms
In the event your Companion needs to use the restroom in the middle of the night, there is a button by the door that will unlock the door for 10 minutes. Only 2 Companions can be out of their rooms at a time while that 10 minute timer is running (so if you need to potty and so does the person next door you can both get out since there are 2 bathrooms, but then the button light goes red for the other kids. When a bathroom is available it will turn green again) If you do not return to your room within those 10 minutes one of your hall mentors will come to check on you- their assumption is that you are likely quite ill or may be in need of assistance.
Mentors and Keepers
Mentors are people (usually young adult to adult Companions or NCCs) who live in the dorms in an advisory role with the younger companions. These figures have to go through training, but the position does not require a college degree. There are 8 mentors per floor (6 regular mentors and then 2 lead mentors) and they share a more apartment style room situation, 2 mentors per apartment. They each get their own room inside their apartment, 1 bathroom they share, a living room and full kitchen.
Each mentor is responsible for 2 pods (that means every pod also has 2 different mentors. This is to keep things flexible for days off as well as emergencies). The 2 lead mentors per floor are permanent floaters. They get to know every pod and are on call and available in the event of emergencies and short staffing, but they are not hard assigned to any pod.
Mentors' job description is simple - they are there to help guide the younger Companions. They assist with homework, help care for them when they aren't feeling well, make certain they get to classes and extra curricular activities on time, etc. Mentors are on active duty during the free hours of the day and then on call during the night in the event of an emergency (such as one of their charges being ill). They get 2 days off per week (it's a rotating schedule so one mentor for a pod is always available) and once a month those 2 days will fall on a weekend. The pay for this position is an allowance (just around minimum wage) due to free room and board and food being provided. This job is one of many YAs could take if they decide not to leave the Academy (remember, any YA that stays on campus must work in some capacity!).
On Sundays, mentors tend to work additional hours because that is the free day for the younger Companions. The mentors tend to be the ones responsible for taking the Companions into town for various activities. These trips are also accompanied by a Keeper.
Keepers, on the other hand, require a degree in a field focused on child care, education, or behavior. Exceptions can be made when a need arises (like needing someone versed in bug anatomy persay for a particular Companion). Except in special cases, Keepers do not have select charges or pods that they care for, but rather look after the children as a whole. They are a unit of adults above the mentors there to help and guide when things get too much to handle even for the YAs. Some Keepers will have specific charges - most of these cases are special needs in some variety (severe anger or violence issues, chronic illness, etc). Keepers tend to lead the additional programs on campus (clubs, sports etc) and work in three 8 hour shifts. Like mentors they get 2 days a week off. Once a month those days fall on the weekend.
Other Living
Outside of the dormitory building there is a "stable" pod for the Meta companions who cannot fit into a normal dorm room. These stables are fully furnished rooms, big enough to fit their size, and in all ways similar to a normal room, except accessible to companions of that build. They have 2 grooming rooms which are like big giant showers. Mentors in this area will help with brushing down and other care as it can be difficult for these companions to fully groom themselves. Stable Mentors must take an additional course (or have a background with) equine creatures in order to help handle the different needs of these special kids.
The School
The large, sprawling academic building is the school. It is one story, to try and accommodate as many of the kids as possible and not segregate the centaurs or aquatics. There is a theater, fully stocked grand cafeteria (way better food than any cafeteria, restaurant quality), classrooms, music rooms, practice rooms, lab rooms, computer labs, library, etc. Instead of spending most of their days in their rooms, companions will now spend the majority of their days in classrooms (like normal kids), learning and playing. Extracurricular and club participation are highly encouraged (which is to say just shy of mandatory).
There is a two story gym with all the equipment you could ever want and a rock climbing wall! There are also classrooms in the gym for things like dance, weight lifting, etc. The bottom floor sports an indoor swimming pool, sauna and massage therapy, as well as a corridor that leads to a number of rooms for the aquatic companions who require water rooms. These rooms connect to the gym via tubes that are only half filled with water (just enough to swim comfortably) and accessible only by the aquatic Companion’s collar. The tubes are also accessible by latches every few feet in the event of an emergency. These tubes also travel to the main academic building, the outdoor pool, and a few other common areas. Medical visits and conferences must be gotten to via special aquachair. Like the stables, mentors in this area must take extra classes and be able to accommodate these special Companions. These rooms are not "podded" the same way and are mostly singles rooms, though they do all connect to a larger "common tank" where the aquatic kids can hang out together.
YA Housing
There is also an apartment complex and a small area of town home style housing on campus for adults and YA companions to live in should they desire to live on site. These properties DO COST RENT. However, they can accommodate actual families and family style living, as well as singles and working adults who want to be able to walk to work. This is especially good for the scientists who work in the labs.
YA Schooling
Many adjuncts from local universities have been taken on staff to teach courses in areas of high interest, like law and medicine. The scientists on campus also hold symposiums and lectures. If a Companion is interested in pursing medicine for their kind, or science linked to any of the many endeavors of the Academy, the can be trained right on campus, and hired by the Academy. Since the Academy does not service the human populace they are not scrutinized as highly. There are also a number of courses aimed at training Companions for specific jobs within the Academy - they will receive "Certificates of Completion" if they complete one of these courses, but sadly they will only function within Academy walls. As a private institution they have looser hiring laws, and can list 'Caretakers' on paychecks so the YAs can be employed on campus.
Companions who are doing upper level coursework on campus will be expected to help fund those courses - if they haven't been adopted or do not have the means they can work on campus in many various junior positions (mentors, groundskeepers, receptionists, etc) to offset or replace that cost.
Adopted Companions
Companions who have been adopted or are living offsite with their parents CAN attend school at the Academy. The only difference is that these companions won't have their own room on campus and will go home at the end of the day. They cannot get into the dorms unaccompanied.
Outdoor Areas
The campus is as green as possible, pulling water from the reservoir, and also collecting from rain. Solar paneling covers much of the campus to use for clean energy and offset costs. The Academy also boasts an extensive field, and a greenhouse where they grow much of their own fruits and vegetables.
Outdoor sporting activities can also be found all around campus including an outdoor pool and pond, tennis courts, big fields for soccer, football, or baseball, a track, etc etc, as well as a large building with multiple jump points at different heights designed for winged companions to learn how to fly. This building also has a skydiving tunnel for beginner practice. The fields can also be utilized for things like archery. There is also a large playground structure for the kids.
The Old Facility
We have not sold it! The old facility has a number of new uses. The first meeting for potential adopters is vetted here, before they ever make it to campus. There is some housing available to YAs if they are in need. This is also a clinic/emergency room for Companions since the Academy is a decent drive. Check-ups may happen here, as well as emergency care. Treatments must happen at the Academy. This is also a training ground for new lab techs, and it houses some of the more governmental jobs they are working on, medical applications for our technology, etc.
Breaking Rules and Consequences
As with everything in life, the consequences of infractions will vary depending on the crime, the reason, the amount of times you've broken the rule, etc. We trust you guys to look at what your kid did, why they did it, and figure out a reasonable consequence - if you are having trouble, you are welcome to ask staff about it!
Classes and Schedules
Companions run on a 'year round' schedule, just due to how much they have to learn in their much shorter time frame. There is a diurnal and nocturnal schedule. Companions with weird biological clocks can choose which they attend, but they are locked into that schedule until the next set of courses begins. They will have SEVEN terms a year, each lasting 6 weeks, with a 1 week break in between. They will then receive a 3 week break in the summertime for a mini vacation. Years begin in August.
For example, early August to mid September would be Term 1. They would then have a week off before Term 2, then another 6 weeks of class, then another off, etc etc
Diurnal Schedule
Diurnal rooms open as early as 6:00AM
Diurnal Breakfast/Nocturnal Dinner 7:00AM
Extracurricular Activities 8:00AM-9:30AM
Diurnal Classes Begin 10:00AM
Diurnal School Day ends at 5:00PM
Snack Room Open until 5:45PM (can be visited at Companion’s discretion)
Nocturnal Breakfast/Diurnal Dinner begins at 7:30PM
Lights out for Diurnals at 9:30PM and 11:00PM
Nocturnal Schedule
Nocturnal rooms open as early as 6:30PM
Nocturnal Breakfast/Diurnal Dinner begins at 7:30PM
Nocturnal classes begin at 10:30PM
Nocturnal School Day ends at 5:30AM
Snack Room Open until 6:15AM (can be visited at Companion’s discretion)
Diurnal Breakfast/Nocturnal Dinner 7:00AM
Extracurricular Activities 8:00AM-9:30AM
Lights out for Nocturnals at 10AM or 11:30AM.
Cross Over Times Include:
Breakfast and Dinner (7-8AM; 7:30-8:30PM)
Extracurricular Activities (8-9:30AM)
Free Time (8:30-9:30PM/10PM, Sundays)