Minor School Anglesey School

ANGLESEY SCHOOL"A Quick History:" Anglesey was founded during the druidic revival of the 18th century, attempting to capitalise on a newfound interest in the old way of magical training and to also offer an alternative to Hogwarts which had long dominated Wizarding Education in Great Britain. It remained comparatively unpopular until the mid 20th century when population increases and changes in the attitude of wizarding society increased the attractiveness of an alternative school."Location:"Anglesey is located on the island of Westray in the Orkneys. (Roughly analagous in location with the real life Lady Kirk although Anglesey is in much better condition."Buildings and Grounds:"Anglesey was built around an abandoned kirk. The kirk itself was rehabilitated and restored and serves as great hall and holds the administrative office of the school. More modern structures ring the kirk and are used as dormitories and classrooms. Professors usually maintain an office in their own lodgings."Student Body:"Anglesey is split fairly evenly male-to-female, although the majority of it's students come from Scotland, Ireland and Wales, areas traditionally associated with Druids. It also has a long tradition of accepting students with mixed blood. Purebloods often eschew the less traditional school and send their children to Hogwarts. Recent years have seen an increase in students of African or Carribean decent."Coursework:"Coursework at Anglesey is much less formal than at Hogwarts. The course list is similar but less structured and students are encouraged to make their own path and concentrate on what interests them most. Independant Studies are common and students are also encourage to learn by doing, not by testing and rote memorization.Astronomy, Herbology, Diviniation, and Care of Magical Creatures are especially well regarded programs. Geomancy is perhaps the most popular course that would divert from Hogwarts' studies. Angelsey's History of Magic, Arithmancy, and Charms programs are generally seen to be lacking in comparison to Hogwarts.Music, art, and physical activity are also suggested as well and form a strong part of the educational experience.Overall the feel tries to emulate ancient druidic traditions, as best as they can be simulated, with an emphasis on nature and natural magic and other traits that would be associated with muggle hippies or new age groups. The school is also not afraid to add new courses or make new lines of inquiry available to students on a whim.With the influx of non-Europeans to Britain during the 20th Century, the school has adapted again openly tolerating, if not integrating, techniques of Indian, African, and Carribean magic trying to create a throughly comprehensive method of training young wizards and keeping their eyes open to all alternatives at the same time providing them with a strong traditional background.In keeping with the ancient druidic style, there is an optional 20 year course of study which delves deeper into topics and also includes advanced studies not advisable for younger students. It is rumored that these topics include druidic sex magic and human sacrifice. Very few students accept this path. The current headmaster is one of the few recent graduates from this path and teaching it is his responsability."OWLs and NEWTs"Angelsey students sit for OWLs and NEWTs just as Hogwarts students do."FULL BACKGROUND""History of Angelsey:"The school was founded in the 18th Century, during the Druidic Revival that also spilled over into the Muggle World. As interest increased in these mysterious Druids, certain parties became interested in reverting to their style and traditions, a more natural, open, nature-based way to use magic. Druidic society also favored equality more than the society of the time. It was named after a Druidic school that used to operate at Angelsey in Wales which was destroyed by the Romans.However, because Druidic tradition was primarily oral very little of it actually surivived to that era, most of what druids did and did not do has been assumed from other sources, notably Roman accounts of the time. Angelsey is not associated with the small community of actual druids, who have managed to maintain their lore and traditions from that time.However, at that time, there was little interest. Most families were happy to send their children to Hogwarts and pureblood families would rarely even think of anything else.By the middle of the 20th Century, attitudes had started to shift. Population was steadily increasing and attitudes changed, welcoming less traditional methods of education. Attitudes at the school shifted too, departing slightly from the Druidic inspirations of the past and welcoming more of a "world magic" view. Independant Study became more common and students were encouraged to seek knowledge where ever they found it."Houses:"Houses are broken up by gender. Due to traditionally low attendance and a desire to avoide the "us vs. them" mentality that tends to plague Hogwarts, there are no deeper divisions than that.Students on the "20-Year Plan" can elect to have private lodgings after they turn 18, until then they live with the normal students."Sports"Quidditch is popular at Angelsey as it is throughout Britain, though due to it's size games are usually limited to intermural pickup matches. The Angelsey Quidditch Club looks forward to being able to field a team capable of taking on one of the Hogwarts teams.Other physical activity is encouraged, taking the attitude of having a healthy mind in a healthy body. However, the weather occasionally interferes and the usual indoor wizarding games are often played.
"Many thanks to DAVROS42 for fleshing out Anglesey."