gold silver au locations: new rome preparatory school
If you boiled New Rome in this AU to its barest essentials it would be that service to the gods is the highest honour. If you are a legacy your parents vowed on their wedding night that all thoughts pertaining to procreation would be focused on creating a child to serve, and if you were a demigod, you were the child of the gods who clearly had intentions of service for you. Service manifested in many ways, not just in defense with the legion. You serve by going to work, you serve by supporting your fellow Romans, and you serve by going to school.
The New Roman Preparatory School (NRPS) is a school for children ages 1-10, to prepare them to be both legionaries, and helpful citizens. It is a massive school complex with many blocks, buildings, fields and halls. It is also the only one in New Rome, taking in anyone who comes under the age of 10 (those who come after 10 are simply slotted into the legion, although they may be offered some tutoring). As many New Roman institutions it's curriculum was aided in design by the gods, in this case the goddess Minerva, although it is still challenged with shoving 18 years of modern education into the minds of 10 year old children. More on that later.
NRPS is arranged by a coloured badge system that denotes age. The youngest are Yellows (1-2) , who have cloth badges woven onto their purple smocks that are used as uniforms. They stayed in school for about 4 hours everyday, getting played with and taught the very basics of school and life. Yellows stayed in the nursery blocks of the school, accompanied by the Greys (2-3), who also got cloth badges but stayed in school for longer (6 hours). Greys, like Yellows, got pre sewn cloth badges, and were exempted from things like morning salute with the rest of the school, although they did have their own version made for smaller children, unlike the Yellows. They also did a lot more activities and sports.
Then there were the Purples (3-4) , who finally got the rounded pin backed badges that would stay with them for the rest of their school careers. This represented a shift towards beginning growing up for them. Along with badges, they got actual uniforms, not smocks, and had a lot more responsibilities. They joined the main school, participated in morning salute, their school day was stretched out to 7 hours, and they got bikes. Then they became Greens (4-5) , and fully committed to the nine hour school day that would form the bulk of their academic career.
5-6 is Oranges, 6-7 are Blues, 7-8 are Reds, 8-9 are Silvers and 9-10 are Golds, who will be legionaries next year and so have special training (10-11 hours at school) and bigger badges. Your badge means a lot in many contexts, since it is widely used as a shorthand for age. You can't forget your badge at home, that would be like forgetting your arm, and it was a source of pride for many. Purples were glad to not be babies anymore (even though everyone still thought they were absolute babies), the Oranges were glad when they could start volunteering, and every Gold, no matter what generation, gets a reputation for being above it all because they're going to be a soldier next year (and you're not). Also, they're the only ones in the main school apart from the purples and to some extent the Silvers whose badges compliment with their purple/yellow uniform and they're bigger and cooler and more detailed than everyone else's. Golds are also seen as the instructors of the others, and can be seen at events ushering people in or telling off their fellow students.
Now, the school schedules may seem insane, especially since they don't really get weekends. But it is slightly necessary considering how New Rome is formatted. You only have 10 years, and about 10 billion subjects. In no particular order, students at NRPS are expected to study:
Fabric Arts, Health Science, Mathematics, Latin Language , Latin Literature, General English, Chem, Bio, Phys, Archery, Gymnastics, Dance, Running, General Physical, Strategy, Combat, Equestrianism, Swimming, Naval Sciences, History, Geography, Religious Education, Citizenship, Food Sciences, Harvesting, Music, Volunteering, Oracy, Veterinary Sciences(With more I am probably forgetting)
Not to mention the extra work that Golds put in and the extracurriculars such as everyone's instruments, theatre, choir, ect. In the key subjects, only the essentials are studied and the rest can be picked up in University if necessary, with some extra tutoring being done in the legion. However, if you want to be a doctor and you spent your entire teenage years being a field medic, you don't necessarily need a Biology GCSE 9 to be a good doctor.
School may sound exhausting, and it is, but it is also very fun. NRPS is massive, with huge grounds (there are so many students for one school) and big lavish classrooms stocked with your every need. Many lessons are encouraged to be done communally, since New Rome loves community, which means most lessons will be chatting while getting work done. Whispering gossip while bottling honey, or out of breath huffing during that chilly morning run, or racing on a horse with all your friends. Children usually come to school in herds of friends, but have to disperse into ordered lines for morning salute. The youngest stumble through it while the oldest execute it flawlessly - the Golds most of all since they know the teachers are taking notes and will remind them in front of the whole school that they are future legionaries, please, and should not be wobbling on their turns at this age. The worst thing you can do is fall on accident, although they're more obliging the lower down the school you go. The uniforms are also fun, because there are two kinds. The normal one is basically a sports uniform, since they are always doing multiple sports every day. Basically search up British PE uniform and you'll basically get what they're wearing, although theirs may be a bit nicer. This is for day to day. Then there are the formals, with blazers and scarves and buttons and skirts, which are for nice assemblies and parades.
These children serve as a lot of things, but they also serve as labour, doing many of the smaller tasks that legionaries can't get to, like delivering groceries, harvesting honey, sewing the badges for the little kids, making jam, picking berries, the like. They are also heavily involved in New Roman justice (execution), since they have to start them young to naturalise them to violence of their system. Most of them are competitive, slightly mean, religious, and very particular about where things should go, like most children would be in their situation, but they are kind and love their friends deeply, and adore their school and New Rome. NRPS achieves its ultimate goal: indoctrination. The Golds bask in the light of future child soldierhood and flaunt it to their peers, everyone clamors at the opportunity to be a legionary some day, its their one dream. Its their one thing.
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