"My life I give to my country. With my hands I fight for Fire Lord Ozai and our forefathers before him. With my mind I seek ways to better my country. And with my feet may our March of Civilization continue."
— The Fire Nation oath recited by students.[1]
AvatarAang briefly attended this school under the alias of Kuzon during the summer of 100 ASC, claiming that he came from the Fire Nation colonies in the Earth Kingdom. While there, he learned that the students were not learning the correct historic information in their classes. For example, they believed that the Air Nomads had their own formal military, when in actuality they did not. Dancing, a means of self-expression, was also frowned upon, for it inspired creativity and ingenuity[1] - two traits that posed a threat to the Fire Lord's control over his people. Through strict disciplinarian teachings and deceptive propaganda, the children and adults of the Fire Nation alike were taught to view the Hundred Year War as their way of spreading their greatness throughout the world. Very few acknowledged the fear and terror the Fire Nation had brought to the other nations.
During the Hundred Year War, this upper-class school was aimed at instilling loyalty to the Fire Nation within its students, often through manipulation or strict discipline. The teachers here maintained extreme order and were very focused on creating perfect Fire Nation citizens. Students in this school started their education as soon as they began firebending, or, for non-benders, as soon as they began walking. The curriculum included etiquette, Fire Nation history, history of warfare, music, and firebending classes.[2] The students were given recess during school in the main courtyard. The courtyard was a plain concrete area with a statue of Fire LordOzai in the center. It required a strict uniform, consisting of brown pants or a skirt and shirt, a black and red vest, and a red sash marked with the school's logo.
If there was a student with a bad conduct, he or she could be sent to "reform school", otherwise known as the coal mines, at the discretion of the Headmaster.[1]
The music class was formal, with a variety of instruments; Aang was given the tsungi horn to play. The music teacher asked Aang not to dance during class. He asked if all that "hullabaloo going on with [his] feet" was a nervous disorder. Confused, Aang replied that dancing was a way of expressing oneself. The music teacher told Aang that if he was so moved by his love for his nation, he could march in place quietly the next time he felt the urge to do so. Aang was one of sixteen students in his class.[1]
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Added by Lady Lostris
