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It would have been a dream come true, had it happened a week before school opened, or maybe during Christmas break. That childhood dream, though, became a nightmare scarring the hearts of many of the now working class adults of Middleton. No one is quite certain what started the fire that broke out at the old School complex that housed grades Kindergarten through Twelve at the close of the twenties. Many blamed the falling House of the Lidescu for the ill-equipped fire department and safety standards…everyone needs a scapegoat others would say. The fire that broke out underneath the large gymnasium is officially blamed on a malfunction in the boiler room. Coupled with only one single door exit, when the smoke began to curl out from the heating vents, panic broke out in the middle of the Awards Ceremony. No one talks about the events that transpired after that, ending in the loss of ten lives and hospitalization for several others. |
It was the need for a new school that saved the Historical Town Hall from being demolished after the fire. The residents of Middleton had found some solace from grief and guilt in the rebuilding of the three separate schools, and spared no expense for any. The High School now stands on the site of the old school, only a few blocks from Middleton’s Town Hall, Police Station, and new Fire Department. Middleton boasts one of the best libraries in the state, an Olympic sized swimming pool (which is now closed due to fear of the growing Polio epidemics), and an extensive science lab. The Miskatonic University offers college level night and day classes at the High School nearly year around, for both the residents of Middleton and the students of the High School in the position to take advantage of them. |
Middleton Hellions Football and Basketball Teams |
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Academic pressure is heavy at Middleton High, which ranks often as top of the state each year. The Athletic competition has often been complained about in the surrounding districts that have not been so lavish in their public schools. The School mascot was changed from the Beaver to the Hellions in ’48, as well as the adoption of the "Atomic Power" symbols as response to the growing pressure and complaints from surrounding districts unable to compete. The message that sent was clear indication that the residents of Middleton would not sway from its high stress, achievement based policies. The drop out rate from Middleton High is not openly discussed among its citizens. Programs ranging from a required "Value of Education Ethics" assembly at the start of each year, to a city-wide ban of questionable literature, music, and cinema have all been employed to try to keep students in school until graduation without much effect. Teen pregnancy is high in Middleton, as is the undocumented abortion procedures performed illegally by sympathetic family doctors. Although it is not a rule, teen girls who carry to full term do so without further education. Performance for Middleton High will be at #cos_highschool. |
