Education and the Calendar

Universal Education System

The interstellar community has standardized education to ensure consistency across planets, stations, and systems. This provides equal opportunities for students regardless of local planetary conditions.

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K-12 Education (Pre-College)

1. Standardized Curriculum:
2. Universal content ensures that students from different planets can seamlessly transition between schools or systems if necessary.
3. Core subjects include math, science, language arts, and history, with electives varying based on local needs (e.g., mining courses on Juentual Three).
4. School Year:
5. The school year follows the Earth-based calendar:
6. Start Date: First Tuesday after Labour Day (early September).
7. End Date: Last Friday in June.
8. Breaks:
9. Winter Break: Two weeks around the end of December.
10. Spring Break: One week in mid-March.
11. Summer Break: From late June to early September.
12. Adaptations on Juentual Three:
13. K-12 evacuation: With the Juentual Flu affecting children under 18, all school-aged students have been relocated to the orbital station.
14. Education continues seamlessly on the station, following the same Earth-standard schedule.

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Tertiary School (Grades 13-15)

1. Purpose:
2. Tertiary schools prepare students for specialized careers or further academic study.
3. Tracks include mining, engineering, medicine, and pre-university for those aiming for higher education.
4. School Year:
5. Matches the Earth-based calendar:
6. Start Date: First Tuesday after Labour Day.
7. End Date: Last Friday in June.
8. Breaks and vacations mirror those in K-12 education.

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University Education

1. Structure:
2. University programs are split into three equal terms, followed by a three-week exam period for each term:
3. Term 1: Early September to early December.
4. Term 2: Early January to early April.
5. Term 3: Mid-April to late July.
6. Students have a vacation period after the third term to align the next academic year with the Earth-based tertiary school calendar.
7. Programs:
8. Universities offer Bachelor’s, Master’s, and Doctoral degrees, with fields tailored to planetary industries (e.g., energy crystal research, robotics, and mining technology on Juentual Three).

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Cultural and Practical Implications

1. Education in a 400-Day Planetary Year:
2. While the local planetary calendar operates on a 400-day cycle, the education system adheres to the Earth-based 365-day calendar.
3. This causes the start and end dates of the school year to drift on the local calendar, much like birthdays. For example:
4. A school year starting on Solara 20 one year might start on Solara 55 the next.
5. Vacation Alignment:
6. The university’s vacation period at the end of Term 3 ensures synchronization with tertiary schools, preventing scheduling conflicts for families with students in both systems.
7. Adaptation for the Juentual Flu:
8. With minors evacuated to the orbital station, education for grades K-12 continues unaffected.
9. Tertiary and university-level students, unaffected by the flu, remain on the planet and continue their studies locally.

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Gameplay and Narrative Integration

1. Tertiary School Setting:
2. Meghan’s enrollment in a tertiary school introduces mechanics for balancing academic progress, part-time jobs, and demon-hunting responsibilities.
3. Class schedules can factor into quest timing, forcing players to plan around exams and school commitments.
4. University Expansion:
5. Advanced university tracks and research programs offer narrative hooks tied to planetary lore, such as energy crystal development and demon studies.
6. Opportunities for inter-school rivalries (e.g., Daisy/Nagi’s mining school vs. Meghan’s school) create additional tension.
7. Station Education:
8. The evacuation of children to the orbital station adds emotional stakes, particularly as parents on the planet struggle with separation from their families.

First School Year Start Date

The first school year begins on the first Tuesday after Labor Day, which falls in early September. For example:

• Labor Day in 2024 is on Monday, September 2.
• The first Tuesday is Tuesday, September 3, 2024.

Second School Year Start Date

The second school year starts approximately six months (182 days) after the first start date:

• Adding 182 days to September 3, 2024 results in March 3, 2025.
• This is a Monday, so the start of the second school year would be Tuesday, March 4, 2025.