A New School

Description
A New School is a privately-funded liberal arts college located just outside of the town of Averno that appeared out of nowhere. It is also the primary setting for the television series The Department.

As a space focused on young adults, stories at A New School tend to focus on transitions, grappling with learning who you are, and forming an identity. A New School is a heightened space, the ridiculousness of its characters and lore mirroring the absurdity of life as a teen and twenty-something. Common themes are defamiliarization, re-examining history, devised microcultures, and group psychology.

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Averno Bible Description
''In the summer of 1971, an unknown private investor bought the land that used to house the Averno grain mill and the Holy House of God Cathedral. In the dead of night, a reconstruction of a 19th century castle was built. Seven letters arrived at the post office that Monday. Each day, the head of a new department of ANS arrived, picked up a letter, and disappeared Into the castle. On Sunday, the post office was closed. Nobody has met the head of the rumored seventh department, but on Monday, the final letter was gone.''

Departments
Department of Cults and Mysteries (DCM)

Department of Lost Histories (DLH)

Department of Dead Languages (DDL)

Department of Hidden Sequences (DHS)

Department of Higher Powers (DHP)

Department of Creation and Destruction (DCD)

Department of Unconfirmed Existence (DUE)

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Known Students
Quinn - freshman as of Live From Averno, Anthropological History of Folklore major (Department of Lost Histories)

Will - freshman as of Live From Averno, History of Crime major (Department of Cults and Mysteries)

Solar - main character of Over and Out (Department of Unconfirmed Existence)

Nova - main character of Over and Out (Department of Creation and Destruction)

Aiden - main character of Shorebound (Department of Lost Histories)

Sicero - creator of the Field Guide, main character of the novel (Department of Dead Languages)

Sam - main character of the novel (Department of Unconfirmed Existence)

RAVE CLOWN - main character of the novel (Department of Hidden Sequences)

Jolene Turner - main character of the novel (Department of Higher Powers)

Annabelle - main character of the novel (Department of Cults and Mysteries)

Tinsley - main character of the TV Show (Department of Cults and Mysteries)

Henley - main character of the TV Show (Department of Cults and Mysteries)

Poppy - main character of Wayward Sisters (Department of Cults and Mysteries)

Florence - main character of Wayward Sisters (Department of Lost Histories)

Ivy - main character of Wayward Sisters (Department of Creation and Destruction)

General Staff

 * The Headmaster - Probably exists (ghost? fake identity? reincarnation of a missing person case? potted plant? The school itself? Mothman? Three Mothmen in a trenchcoat? Who knows?)
 * The Dean - Tobias Merriweather
 * The Janitor

Cults and Mysteries
Marielle Souza - Department Head and professor of... everything.

Ana Strum - Professor of Criminal Psychology

Sabita Dido - Professor of Biological Anthropology

Francisco Marez - Professor of Criminal Systems .

Hidden Sequences
William Gordone - Department Head and professor of Theological Numerology.

Andromeda Faye - Professor of Calculus

Stella Bryce - Professor of... Coding?

Michael Ortiz - Professor of Patterns, Codes, Symbols, Code-Making and Code-Breaking

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Lost Histories
Akshay Banjeri - Professor

Hamlet Whitmore - Professor

Edith Reynolds - Professor

Milo Fletcher Fauxe - Professor

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Higher Powers
Bass Walker - Professor of Philosophical Theology

Malvina Walker - Professor of Herbalism

Dorian Walker - Professor of Medicine .

Dead Languages
Dinara Kabyl - Department Head and professor of Cryptology

Robert Johnson - Professor of Latin

Chione Blim - Professor .

Creation and Destruction
Rhoan Crothers - Department Co-Head and professor of Science

Catherine Nguyen - Department Co-Head and professor

Olivia Trung - Professor of Art

Greta Vigdis Trygvason - Professor .

Unconfirmed Existence
Eliziveta Raskova - Department Head and professor of... something?

Dimitri Ognassian - Professor of Cryptozoology.

Emanuel Anabitarte - Professor of Deep Sea and Deep Space Exploration

Frank Harringrove - Professor of Invention and Mysterious Objects

Locations on Campus

 * The Cottage - home to the Department of Cults and Mysteries
 * The Holy House of God Cathedral - home to the Department of Lost Histories and the Department of Higher Powers
 * Abandoned Cracker Corp. Factory - home to the Department of Dead Languages
 * The Birdcage - home to the Department of Hidden Sequences
 * The Barn - home to the Department of Creation and Destruction
 * The Tunnels Under Campus - home to the Department of Unconfirmed Existence

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Trivia

 * There is a Buzzfeed quiz to place students into one of the above listed departments.
 * However, since this is an American college, people are allowed to choose multiple departments—similar to how one would choose multiple subjects to major and minor in.
 * The insignia for A New School (pictured above) includes a three-eyed deer head with a banner reading 'interroga omnia'- Question Everything.
 * A New School is a perfect reconstruction of an 18th century castle, except on the back side, where they ran out of money and spray-painted some plywood to look like rocks.