[COLOR=DARKGRAY][URL=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VoAnLHSLHGQ][COLOR=GRAY][INDENT][B][SUP][SUB][H3]M A T H E R   M E M O R I A L   H I G H   S C H O O L:[/H3][/SUB][/SUP][/B][/INDENT][hr][/COLOR][INDENT][sup][COLOR=LIGHTGRAY]Tuesday, September 3[SUP]rd[/SUP], 2019 - 08:16 am | Teacher’s Lounge[/COLOR][/sup][/INDENT][/URL]
[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/Sp40nbU.gif[/img][/center]
[INDENT][INDENT]The morning sun shone over Mather Memorial Park as the American Flag blew proudly in the gentle Atlantic breeze. A new day had dawned on Crestwood Hollow and a new academic year upon Mather Memorial High School. The gentle lull of birds gleefully chirping was broken by the steady roar of an older muscle car as it made its way towards the school. Pulling into the school parking lot, the driver made his way into the faculty parking spots before cutting the engine.

Opening the large door, Dr. Jonas Lehrer ran a hand over his smoothly shaved head as he walked around to the rear of the car. Opening the near body-sized trunk, Jonas reached inside before withdrawing his leather messenger bag. Swinging the wide strap over his torso, Jonas approached the front foyer, pushing open the set of double doors before entering.

Numerous students lined the hall as they checked through the various postings on the walls, looking for their name and assigned homeroom class. Though Jonas quickly noted that none of them seemed to be in any particular hurry, the hallway rapidly growing more crowded.  Those who had found their names stood in the way of those who had come later, blocking their fellow students from finding their own homeroom assignments, while they caught up with their friends who they hadn't seen over the summer.

[COLOR=WHITE]“Welcome back, Mather Memorial Ravens!”[/COLOR] The student radio was clearly broadcasted over the din of noise in the hallways as the host continued to speak. [COLOR=WHITE]“I hope you all aren’t having any trouble finding your room assignments! If you are, look for the Student Council members in the black and blue. They’ll be happy to assist in any way they can!”[/COLOR] The student's voice said with a slight chuckle as Jonas continued to walk the hallways.

Unzipping his jacket, Jonas noticed several of the students giving him a strange look. It wasn't to be unexpected; however, he wasn't a returning teacher. Jonas was a new face to the student body, and this was his first term at Mather Memorial. Continuing to push his way through the throng, Jonas quickly turned into his office upon locating it. Taking a seat at his desk, placing his bag on the desk before gently running a hand over the embossed leather. 

Opening the bag, he reached inside. Pulling out a rather new laptop, Jonas logged onto the school’s network. Loading the daily schedule, he noticed that he had an assembly to attend. A soft groan escaped from between his lips as the new teacher leaned back in the chair. 'Welcome Assemblies' were hardly exciting, and as a teacher, he didn't look forward to them any more than the students did.

[COLOR=WHITE]“...And in local news, the search for Kaitlyn Stewart still has no leads. Local authorities are asking for any and all information that friends and family might be able to supply…”[/COLOR] The student radio suddenly caught Jonas' attention at the mention of the missing girl. Kaitlyn Stewart was one of the students that Jonas had selected to be in his Social Conscience program. Unfortunately, it seemed fate had other ideas for Kaityln, and she wouldn't be joining the class, at least not today.

Standing up from his desk, Jonas stifled a yawn while a hand absently scratched at the five o’clock shadow on his chin. Rubbing his tired eyes, Jonas moved away from his desk and into the Teacher’s Lounge. The rich, earthy smell of a fresh pot of coffee immediately drew his attention. Pouring a cup for himself, Jonas took a sip from the sharp, black liquid before returning to his desk. Time seemed to have flown by as the bell rang suddenly, signalling not only the start of Jonas’ day but the start of a brand new school year. 

Taking a long, final swing, Jonas swallowed quickly. Gulping down the remainder of his mug, he placed it down on the desk and stood to leave. Rolling up the sleeves on his collared shirt, Jonas straightened his tie while he walked out of the office and made his way towards the auditorium. The dull roar of students chattering to themselves filled the halls as the student body proceeded towards the auditorium. Something tapped against Jonas' palm, prompting him to look towards his wrist.

A black woven cord secured a small vial to his wrist. The vial in question was practically shaking, the crimson liquid inside reacting to the student body around it. It was as though something was calling to it, the fluid moved in almost every direction, pausing to point the vial in one direction only to suddenly move towards another. No doubt, it had begun to detect those that Jonas had selected for his class. It was Crestwood Hollow's significant history with the witch trials that had been one of the primary draws for Jonas when he had approached Principal Fitzgerald regarding the Social Conscience Program.

Jonas had pitched the in-school program as a way to encourage ‘gifted’ individuals to grow and develop within their community, finding a way to contribute to society with their own gifts in their own way. Though if he was honest with himself, that wasn’t precisely what Jonas had in mind. Each individual he had selected for the program bore the blood of a witch, which gave them the ability to interact and manipulate magic in the world around them. It was Jonas' hope to harness this power. 

[COLOR=WHITE]"...And please give a warm Mather Memorial High School welcome to your new faculty member, Mr. Lehrer!"[/COLOR] Principal Fitzgerald's voice echoed out through the auditorium. Leaving both his seat and thoughts, Jonas stepped forward, replacing Fitzgerald at the podium overlooking the student body. 

[COLOR=WHITE]"Greetings, Mather Memorial. I think we can all agree this year, the school will truly spread its wings."[/COLOR] Jonas' gravely voice dictated, a slight chuckle appearing midst the travelled accent as he elicited a combination of groans, cheers, and laughter from the students with his reference to the school's chosen mascot. 

The Mather Memorial Ravens.

[COLOR=WHITE]"It's a pleasure to be joining the faculty here, this year. To some of you, I'll be teaching physics, to others; I'm sure I'll meet you later this year on the court as the new basketball coach. Still, more of you will be participating in my advanced calculus class, but there is a specific handful of you that I'm really looking forward to meeting."[/COLOR] Pausing for effect, Jonas flashed a smile as he extended a hand towards Principal Fitzgerald. 

[COLOR=WHITE]"If it wasn't for the generosity and open-mindedness of Principal Fitzgerald, I wouldn't be able to have founded my pioneering Social Conscience Program here at Mather Memorial."[/COLOR] A slight hush fell over the crowd at the mention of the new program. Looking out over the student body, Jonas continued to speak, hoping to win their affection back with his following words. 

[COLOR=WHITE]“I realize this might not be a class that anyone wanted to be taking this year. But, those of you who we recruited truly show great potential and I can't wait to work with each of you on an individual level. I do hope all of you take the time to attend, I'd hate for anyone who was recruited to miss out on the [i]magic[/i]."[/color] He took a pause, scanning the audience for a reaction before continuing.

[COLOR=WHITE]"Again, I want to express my deep-felt gratitude to Principal Fitzgerald and my new home here at Mather Memorial High School for allowing me this opportunity!"[/COLOR] He finished, raising the microphone into the air as the student body exploded into cheers before Jonas returned the microphone to the Principle. Turning away from the student body, Jonas allowed a small, satisfied smile to appear across his face before he took his seat, quickly returning to a stoic expression as he turned to face the student body again once sitting.[/INDENT][/INDENT]
[hr][INDENT][sup][COLOR=SILVER]Tuesday, September 3[SUP]rd[/SUP], 2019 - 10:40am | Physics Laboratory[/COLOR][/sup][/INDENT]
[INDENT][INDENT]The rest of the assembly went by rather quickly, which was surprising given the events that followed Jonas' speech. The student council performed a rather awkward skit on the dangers of unprotected sex, sexually transmitted infections and the meaning of the word ‘no.’ This, however, was topped by a closing rap performed by the school’s elderly librarian who somehow managed to twerk with a collapsed hip. Thankfully it didn’t go any further beyond that, and Principal Fitzgerald hastily dismissed the students to pursue the rest of their day and start their new school year. 

Checking his watch, Jonas inwardly groaned at the agonizing wait he was still faced with until he could formerly meet the students who had been selected for his program. The school had [i]kindly[/i] provided Jonas access to each of [i]his[/i] students' records, and he had taken the time to look into and read their files. In fact, in many ways, Jonas likely knew the students better than they knew themselves. 

Leaving the auditorium with the rest of the teachers, he took the stairs to the upper floor of the east wing. The hallway air immediately became fresher and crisper upon entering the school’s newer addition. Heading to the physics lab, Jonas entered the room with the rest of the students before standing behind the podium and addressing the surprisingly seated class.

[COLOR=WHITE]"Don't you all look serious,"[/COLOR] Jonas mused, looking out over the class. [COLOR=WHITE]"You all do realize this is the first day of class? I'm not about to tell you to do something ridiculous like take out your textbooks and turn to page twenty-three."[/COLOR] He added, eliciting a nervous chuckle from the group before him. 

[COLOR=WHITE]"I'm also not lulling you into a false sense of security only to hit you with a pop quiz or some other stereotypical teacher [i]bullshit[/i]."[/COLOR] Jonas stated before gesturing to his bag. [COLOR=WHITE]"Look, my books aren't even out."[/COLOR] Jonas smiled disarmingly before standing up from the edge of the desk that he had been sitting on.

[COLOR=WHITE]"How many of you took physics because you needed a science credit?"[/COLOR] He asked, watching several hands go up in the air. [COLOR=WHITE]"Okay, and how many of you think physics is probably going to be boring? Perhaps the dullest course you'll take this semester?"[/COLOR] More hands went up in the air this time.

[COLOR=WHITE]"Well, I'm going to tell you that's objectively false. Physics is interesting, and it's fun. In fact, I've got something here to show you just how fun it can be."[/COLOR] Jonas stated, walking behind the desk before emerging with a mesh bag filled with dodgeballs. [COLOR=WHITE]"Who wants to get out this classroom and blow off some steam?"[/COLOR]

This time every hand in the room went up.[/INDENT][/INDENT]
[hr][INDENT][sup][COLOR=LIGHTGRAY]Tuesday, September 3[SUP]rd[/SUP], 2019 - 02:20pm | The ‘Loft’[/COLOR][/sup][/INDENT]
[INDENT][INDENT]As the bell sounded signalling the last break of the day, Jonas packed up his things and left the calculus classroom behind. An eager smile crossed his face, it was time to make his last introduction of the day, but it was also the introduction he had been most looking forward to all day.

Walking the aged hallways of Mather Memorial, Jonas made his way to the top of the main building. Unlocking the door to a musty, old classroom, Jonas coughed slightly. A cloud of dust met his nostrils, exhumed by the now ajar door. Entering the room, Jonas placed his bag on the antique desk and turned to look towards one of the school’s last operating analog clocks.

Within the next fifteen minutes, those attending the Social Conscience Program would be coming through the very door he had just unlocked. While initially the room had been set up with aged single piece desks, Jonas had arranged a more comfortable situation and instead, the classroom was now made up of several large leather couches arranged in a ‘U-shape’ adjacent to his desk. 

Opening the pair of windows at the far end of the classroom in an attempt to make the room breathe, Jonas moved through the room, placing a passcard and syllabus at each seat cushion. Walking over to the storage closet in the back corner of the room, Jonas opened its doors as he found a new package of chalk before returning to the head of the classroom.

Turning to the blackboard, Jonas reached lifted the tab on the new box of chalk, pulling a piece out before quickly writing out a question on the sun-faded blackboard. A second bell rang, signalling the end of break and the start of the day’s final class. It was quiet for another minute, then on queue, the students began to file into the classroom. They each took a seat while Jonas stood leaning against the desk. He held his arms crossed in front of him, his eyes studying each and every one of his selected students. As the group settled, Jonas cleared his throat before he began to address them.

[COLOR=WHITE]"Allow me to welcome you to what I hope will turn out to be the first class of its kind,”[/COLOR] Jonas said as he extended with arms to add some showmanship to his introduction before beginning to sign his words. [COLOR=WHITE]“Your principal has been gracious enough to allow me to use you all as my guinea pigs. This class is all about self-discovery and finding out how you can use your specific gifts to influence and change the world around you.”[/COLOR] He paused for a second. 

[COLOR=WHITE]“I hope that by the end of this school year, each and every one of you will be able to testify how this class has helped you for the better.”[/COLOR] Jonas flashed a quick smile towards the class before continuing again. 

[COLOR=WHITE]“As you should all be aware of by now, I am Mr. Lehrer, but that’s far too formal for my liking,”[/COLOR] Jonas stated as he shook his hand beside his throat. 

[COLOR=WHITE]"Please, call me Jonas instead."[/COLOR] He said as he boosted himself onto the desk, taking a seat on the edge while alternating between rubbing a hand on either of his wrists. 

[COLOR=WHITE]“Beside you, on your seat, you’ll find a passcard and a program syllabus. That card will allow you access to this room should you ever need it. I hope you’ll come to find this room to be something of a sanctuary.”[/COLOR] Looking over the class, Jonas could see their minds at work, curiosity was a driving trait among them. They were just as interested in studying him as he was them. 

[COLOR=WHITE]“The syllabus, on the other hand, outlines our class and my expectations for you. Those of you who have taken a look already, likely noticed you’ll need parental sign off. I have several trips planned over the course of the school year, and since none of you are eighteen, I need your parents or guardians to sign.”[/COLOR] He paused again before speaking further.

[COLOR=WHITE]“Now then, as some of you might have already noticed, I’ve written a question on the board. I want to use it as an icebreaker,  to begin to get to know a little about each other. It’s the last class of your first day of school, I’m not going to work you too hard today”[/COLOR] He chuckled while pointing over his shoulder to the chalkboard behind him.

The words ‘[i]Who Am I?[/i]’ were written in large letters across the board. 

Jumping down from his desk, Jonas began to pace the front of the classroom as he extended his hands in an open invitation. [COLOR=WHITE]"So what brave individual wants to be the first to take a crack at answering the question? State your name and anything else you feel is part of your identity to the rest of the group. Just a simple ice breaker, we go around the couches and introduce ourselves and who we see ourselves as.”[/COLOR] He stated before turning the floor over to the class[/INDENT][/INDENT][/COLOR]