St Ives Prep

Description

St. Ives Preparatory School is a prestigious privately-run all-girl state-certified juvenile detention "boarding school." Think of it as the place where daddy's pampered princesses get sent when they've done something too bad for the courts to just ignore. They also take "sponsored" charity cases from others seeking the best reform experience.

Think of it as Bully's Bullworth Academy, but all-girl, all-delinquent, and mostly mega-rich.

The walled-in campus was originally run by a Catholic religious order, but it's now run by a primarily lay staff and offers services for all denominations. The 19th-century stonework architecture and on-campus chapel still make its legacy very apparent.

The campus is large- with two dormitories that, while modernized, are century-old structures and one very modern dorm replacing one destroyed in a fire. The school proper is similarly old and vast, with a brand-new athletics complex. Over 20 acres exist within the old manor-like walls and another 200 acres of woodland is at least symbolically fenced off, with riding trails and campsites within it. The school is large enough for normally-contradictory experiences to occur at the same time, depending on your narrative: Bad / good teachers, abusive dorm heads or overly-doting mother figures, rivals on the dorm floors that never met, etc.

Most girls' possessions are locked in the contraband room unless they have a pass to leave campus. Internet and phone access is tightly controlled. Uniforms are provided for academics, athletics, and even pajamas, so what few personal items they do get can carry incredible social weight. The cliques here are fierce. Even among the 'charity case' students from more modest means, things can get rather cutthroat.

For the Super-Powered

St. Ives has been known to discreetly take in children from wealthy donors who may have situations that they do not want in the public eye. These are usually still tied to the juvenile justice system (the sudden advent of powers is rarely a "clean" or victimless process), but they've even taken direct nonjudicial placements in the past. Although certainly not the Xavier institute, they do take their role seriously in helping students learn to control and harness their abilities. The new athletic center and the basement of the new dormitory are both investments in that effort.

Plot Elements

An alarming number of recent graduates have gone on to join the Carnival of Shadows because, let's face it, this IS their target demographic.

Notable Alumni

Tabby Mary Zane, heir to Zane Industries, archrival of Tabby.