Anders Main Page
Author's note: Yet more in the Northern California by Night series. This time, a small school, set in the pleasant foothills above Stanford. But who knows what the real goal is behind those decorative walls. The New World Order is alive and well, even in this seemingly free-wheeling region. And they want YOUR children.
And for those with the cash, if you child is old enough and not graduated from high school, there is the West Hills Academy for the Gifted and Talented. If your child can pass the rigorous entrance testing, they get access to the best private education shy of college. And in the pastoral setting of the hills near Portola, just up the ridge from Stanford itself.
Once inside the compound, there are three clusters of buildings, the three Quads. The architecture is simple, utilitarian, yet remarkable in its own way. It meets all the requirements of form and function, yet blends in well with the highly manicured lawns and topiaries that carpet the center of campus.
The three Quads are devoted to different functions, namely Residence, Academy, and Administration. There are subtle differences between the three quads, mostly having to do with the amount and layout of parking, and the student traffic, but all in all they seem very similar.
Behind the Academy quad there lies a rather large barn and associated stables. There are several trails of into the woods, where students can ride or go to get some peace and tranquility in the pastoral environs the Academy provides.
"More than 95% of the student body lives here on campus. This way they can take advantage of our around the clock counselling services, as well as associate with their peers. Parents are always welcome to visit, though they are accomidated off-campus. We do not wish to distract students from their work."The reality is exactly that. The lifestyle here is restrictive, with a soothing, soft overtone. Light music, designed to nulify emotional responses, is played constantly, monotonous enough to not be noticed, yet not so monotonous as to get boring and stale. Clothing is a school-provided uniform, which is washed in the campus laundry at the end of the day."The campus environment, as you can see, is well-kept, and orderly. This is condusive to the studious environment we wish to foster here at the Academy. A strick 9 pm curfew is enforced, and no loud music is allowed at any time. There are none of the usual distractions that accompany dormitory life: no posters, no raucous collections of music or video games. And most importantly, no drugs or alcohol. Our students are to be kept in control of their own faculties at all times, or they are sumarilly dismissed. Any medication is dispensed in the campus Infirmary, in the Administration Quad."
"Classes are orderly, with maximum student-instructor interaction. We pride ourselves on keeping class sizes small, so the children get the most of their educational experience. Unlike most other schools, we feel that each student is a special case, deserving special, individualized attention."
From the pamphlet "Getting to know the West Hills Academy for the Gifted and Talented":
Were the surroundings less aesthetically pleasing, this place would be considered strongly militaristic. Rooms are inspected without warning, and strict rules of presentation are held at all times. Beds are always made properly, the hair is always combed and well-kept, all boookshelves and desk spaces are kept clean. It is a paradise for what would be called "anal retentives" in the outside world.
"Here academic aexcellence is not merely registered based upon IQ or examination. Students are constantly evaluated by a number of criteria, including problem solving, observational skills, reasoning, and communication. No student need fear expulsion because of bad materials or an inability to comprehend an instructor. Sometimes they need to be exposed to the material in a different way in order to understand it and succeed."Indeed, the curriculum is very well-rounded. Students spend up to 14 hours a day in classes, with only small breaks for snacks and study groups. They are trained to think in certain ways, though some of them benefit from this kind of training, becoming positively brilliant."In the eyes of our administration, education is also not mere rote memorization of facts, nor is it a slaving obedience to the "three R's". Here we teach focus on the more important goals of communication, ethics, deductive reasoning, and observation. The creative impulse is stoked from an ember to a flame, and tempered by the strong, quick mind the students possess."
"But education is not simply about the head, either. There are extensive physical training facilities available, and students must also meet certain physical requirements. Unlike what some of our detractors say, this is not a PT test reminiscent of military boot camps. Indeed, this is a way to encourage a breadth of education and experience in the student body. With such courses as horseback riding, hiking, scuba diving, marksmanship, and martial arts, we think that any student will find what he or she needs to become fit in body as well as in mind."
"We also do student body counselling, preparing them for the world of higher education and the workplace. All our older students are involved with local corporations or the local government, getting first-hand knowledge and experience that is not provided by most other learning institutions, private or public."
From the pamphlet "Getting to know the West Hills Academy for the Gifted and Talented":
The "focussing" of the creative impulse actually deadens the Avatar to all but a Technocratic Awakening, and several promising children have been lost after spending a year or two in the Academy. In the Academy's entire history, only one student has gone Marauder, and the few that have Awakened and accepted the Traditions have eventually become quite good spies and informants.
The physical reigmen, as well, helps train potential operatives. For those who show aptitude, the training is as good as that provided at other NWO centers, or maybe even a little better. THe graduates of the Academy are often placed into positions as important operatives, assassins, or spies.
In fact, any student that shows potential as a New World Order operative is welcome, and in fact pursued. Those that show potential to be Awakened will be brought into the Academy at any cost, in some cases even through kidnapping. Given the prestigious nature of the Academy, however, this last has not yet been necessary.
Many of the students at the faculty will become members of major corporations, inheriting their positions from wealthy parents. They are encouraged to repot to the "authorities" anything strange happening and any "seditious" activities.
If they discover that they mis-assessed a student early on, the student will be quietly expelled, and tuition reimbursed. They will give the parent the names of several schools that may be better fitted for their child's need (all of them run or partially run by the NWO), and offer them their condolences.
Slightly more advanced cases, or those who have strong potential, are immediately hit with a barrage of drug and conditioning treatments to "cure" them of their deviance. In this way, 99% of the remaining non-expelled cases are made usable to the Order's purposes.
In the case of those resistant to the drugs or deemed to know too much, an "accident" is arranged. A diving board breaks, a horse throws its rider, or a gun jams on the rifelry range. There are many things that can go wrong, and the school pays enough insurance to shut the mouths of the most distraught parents. Fortunately the number of accidents such as these at the Academy is quite low.
In the case of potentially dangerous "moles", there is a contingency plan. These operatives may be considered too valuable to liquidate, but too dangerous tokeep around. As such, they face one of two fates. The first of these is a "deep cover" plan, where the mind is almost totally wiped and replaced with a cover personality, with the operative's trained persoona to emerge at a future time when a command phrase is spoken.
The other is more insidious, and considered dangerous by many thers of the Technocracy. The operative is given some kind of "high-risk" duty, be it service on a Voidjammer or infiltration into a secretive sect of Euthanatos or Verbeena. In some cases, information is purposefully "leaked" as to the operative's true identity. If they survive their mission, they are then reconditioned and welcomed back into the Corps. If they fail, the blood is on the hands of the enemies of the Order of Reason, and not on the New World Order.
Up to the New World Order PageAnders Sandberg / nv91-asa@nada.kth.se