The Jamaa academy

1- Welcome!

"Dear teachers and students, It is my great honor and pleasure to welcome all of you to the official opening of the school year. I am particularly happy to welcome our new students, who have come from schools all over the mysterious world of Jamaa.We all look very much forward to working with you in the coming years.

I can't even begin to describe how important it is for you to take advantage of and exploit the facilities and resources offered by our academy. To a certain extent, you could say learning at this school is learning to succeed and to define a field or an area to pursue at universities or as your future career. As you'll soon discover, the knowledge to acquire is vast. It is to be found in the many different classes you are going to attend, in the piles of books accessible to you in our library, in the labs that accompany most science subjects, in the assemblies we arrange in many Friday afternoons, in the wide array of hands-on activities we make available for you, and in the interaction with your teachers and fellow students and with our many alumni and invited guest speakers. As much as all of this represents endless possibilities and endless series of combination, it only points to your potential, really. What is 'potential'? Your potential is something that is not yet realized, something that can become real given your determination and perseverance to unleash it. Does it sound a little abstract? Let me explain it to you: There are lots of things you can do and achieve in this school but your achievement is, to a large degree, defined by yourselves. The curriculum is not unchallenging, the tests and exams are not easy, and your teachers are not undemanding. It makes a certain sense; after all, we are a prestigious academy preparing you for tertiary education. So, don't lean back in class and laze around; you will soon fall behind. Set a good timetable, plan your studies and revision, feed your hunger for knowledge by exploring the many resources around you, start to shape your future and you will live and grow. It's as simple as that. And yet so demanding.

Welcome to the Jamaa academy! Welcome to an academy that not only values your school grades, but also your contribution to the community in many ways, such as helping those who are confused or lost, or helping our Alphas by exploring the vast area outside the safe haven of Jamaa, which we must thank our creators, Mira and Zios for.

Studying at The Jamaa academy will not be what you expect of a school in the ordinary sense of that phrase. As students, studying is, more than anything else, having the right attitude; it is about being inquisitive, curious, interrogative, and self‐reflexive. So as students of The Jammers academy you are expected to engage in a long learning process during which you will develop academic competencies in the various subjects you are taking, a set of study skills and life skills useful for your future, a critical and self‐reflexive mindset to deal with your life in a constantly changing society, and during which you will begin to define your own interests and your own career goals.

Our committed teaching staff, who have always been working hard for the school, are going to work even harder this year. For one thing, they are going to give up some of their time after school to give extra lessons to you. In fact, I myself will also help the most especially talented students of our Academy by taking them on extra excursions. With a total of some 700 students The Jamaa academy is a rather small school, but don't be mistaken, despite our small student population, we can be a strong community, one where teachers and students share the same dream and vision- to help serve Jamaa and our mighty Alphas in as many ways as possible.

Thank you one and all, and welcome to The Jamaa academy, where you will thrive in your own essence, and become responsible citizens of Jamaa."

Thunderous applause broke out in the hall as the dean finished her speech. "Wow! That speech was most definitely the best speech I have ever heard in my life!!" Forest squealed into her best friend Velvet's ear. Velvet shrugged " I just hope the dorms here are as good as that speech." Forest sighed. Velvet and Forest were both first years here at the Academy, and they had just graduated from the Alpha heart school of Kimbara, and successfully enrolled into The Jammers academy. Forest was an outgoing and adventurous red panda who loved talking and was almost never embarrassed, and Velvet was a quiet and rather mysterious fox, but despite their differences, the two were inseparable. And now they were attending The Jamaa academy together!!! Forest was ecstatic, and Velvet was judicious of the school and their fellow classmates.

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Thank you so much for trying this Animal Jam novella! It would mean sooooo much to me if you voted or commented for this story <3 Please help me point out mistakes that I may have made or things that may be offensive in this chapter so I can keep it enjoyable for all!

~The author