Citropolis College for Vocational Education

The CCVE, as a non-academic school, wrestles with a reputation at odds with itself – the mainstream schools often regard it as lesser, and yet, its courses educate the next generation for jobs vital to Citropolis. Its location in the Recreational District further colours the perception of the school, due to the laid-back atmosphere of the rest of the area.

This contradictory essence trickles down into its treatment of Sparks within its faculty, and its student body. Due to going relatively unnoticed, firing Spark teachers is not as important to the CCVE as Citropolis High, and this means a few more “end up” in a position to teach here; but this does not mean Sparks are wholly tolerated.

While Sparks can lend their talents towards their subject, or push the field forward in bold new ways, they are also treated differently. For a Spark, being out (or outed) here can lead to a range of reactions: ranging from envy, to fear, to neglect; or, if you’re lucky, you might find acceptance amongst those who find themselves left on the sidelines, too.

Students at CCVE are aged 16-19.

Upon entering school here, students make a choice of which course they wish to focus on. The list below shows both course options, and examples of non-exhaustive areas within them:

Agriculture
Units: horticulture, soil management, zoology, and biotechnology.

Art & Design
Units: animation, textiles, pottery, and photography.

Business & Finance
Units: accounting, insurance, marketing, and human resource management.

Health & Social Care
Units: physiotherapy, pharmaceutical science, nursing, and nutrition.

Media & Publishing
Units: radio, television, film, and print based media.

Ash Lowell (they/them, 17): An Agriculture student. Ash is a teenager with a love for bugs and worms that inhabit the soil – an enthusiasm that's labelled them as someone not to approach. They walk around barefoot, and if you ask them what's in their pockets, prepare for a weevil or two to pop out.

Luca Colbert (he/him, 18): An Agriculture student. Luca, even when not handling seedlings, has never been seen without a lab coat and goggles on. Whenever you enter the CCVE's Agriculture Department labs, Luca will be in there, growing or grafting something… even after school hours. It's no wonder he's so far ahead in his lab work.

Mr Winthers (he/him): The teacher for the Art & Design course, who, against his wishes, has been outed as a Spark. He runs an after school art club at the college, and has an eye for inviting students (regardless of their course) who need time away from home.

Ramona Ortega (she/her, 18): An Art & Design student. Ramona focuses on photography and painting techniques, and has a streak of graffitiing surfaces to make good shots for her portfolio. She has an eye for people that would fit in amongst the quartet.

Kyle Young (he/they, 17): An Art & Design student. With a taste for textiles, Kyle favours producing clothing for his art coursework, and uses collages of Ramona's photos to inspire his next vestment. You know he's onto a new project when the quartet start wearing new additions to their wardrobe.

Brad Bailey-Baker (he/him, 18): A Health & Social Care student. A tall, muscular teen, with a heart of gold and an interest in physiotherapy. While he doesn't often understand the artistic vision of his friends, he does his best to support them – including carrying their portfolios and materials across the college.

Avril Hawking (she/her, 17): A Business & Finance student. Avril is not the first Hawking to have studied here, and made the same course choice as her siblings. But, when not designing marketing campaigns, Avril acts as a model for Kyle and Ramona's projects – and seems eager to encourage them to develop a clothing line.

Euphemia “Effie” Bennington (she/her, 19): A Media & Publishing student. Effie is an articulate, formal girl, whose parents work in the Central district – and who can buy her the best (read: expensive) recording equipment for her media projects.

Attending CCVE can give you a more unconventional experience of school: classes are more tight knit, with a regular teacher and set of students to interact with; course specialisation and choice can allow you to focus on discovering unique ways to apply your spark; and, instead of prom, school festivals and class projects encouraging self-exploration take the centre stage.

Along with this change in structure, comes the opportunity to navigate a place of contradictions in how it treats you, and at game start, known Sparks are present in the school’s population.