1. OOC Rules & Guidelines. Here you'll find all the basic information about how you, as a writer, should comport yourself on the SGA site, as well as information about posting rules, image sizes and advancement requirements.

2. Student Rules. These are the IC rules that all students attending Shady Grove Academy for the Advanced must follow, along with some information about what's available to students.

3. Faculty Guidelines. If you're a new professor here at SGA, this post will help you figure out exactly how to get started, and will let you know what's expected of you as a member of the faculty. Make sure you read and understand these BEFORE applying for a professorial position.

4.Staff, Resident and Visitor Rules. These are basic rules for those who aren't students are professors. All of the basic rules still apply though!

Before you begin your stay at Shady Grove, there are a couple things that you need to know about being a member.

Members and Registering

1. First and foremost, we are a board built on communication and respecting our members. Bullying will not be tolerated and any complaints will be looked into. If we find that you’re intimidating or harassing other members, you will be banned. Plain and simple.

2. When you register, please register with your character’s first and last names only. when you are approved, we will add the title of Professor if applicable. I don’t want to see any BobJones2009kittykittylicklicks running around. We all know how uncomfortable that would be.

3. If you have any issues with registering, filling out your application or another member, please shoot a PM to Headmaster Rory Dawson or Professor Grace deWitt. We’ll do out very best to clear up questions and sort out problems.

4. All students must have permanent addresses in the United States! Shady Grove Academy is not currently accepting international or foreign exchange students. The first rules word is Vulcan.

5. There is a limit to how many characters you can create at one time. You may have four, a male student, a female student, a professor and a resident (or staff member). To keep things even, if you register Suzie as a Junior or Senior, then your next character, Artie, must be a Freshmen or Sophomore. Likewise, if your first character is a professor or a resident/staff, your second and third characters must be students.

6. …but fear not, my lovelies. It is possible to gain other characters. When your first two characters reach 75 posts each or you follow the instructions outlined in the Character Development Clinic, you have the option of creating a new character. Any subsequent characters can be whatever age or gender you wish! However, each member is limited to one professor.

Posting

1. All posts must be written in past tense, third-person.

2. It should go without saying that godmodding will not be tolerated unless permission is given. It’s rude and takes the fun out of things. The second rules word is Klingon. This applies to not only physical contact but also the use of gifts on other people.

3. There is no post length requirement; we just ask that you try to match the length and effort that the person you are posting with has put in.

4. This board has a PG-13 rating, meaning we will allow swearing, moderate violence and sexual allusions but we certainly don’t want to see people RP-ing graphic sex, violence and drug use. Think of the children.

5. Please remember that this is IC. If Lucy has a problem with Ethel’s character, that doesn’t mean that Lucy’s character has a reason to be a bitch.

6. While we encourage drivers to RP over AIM and what have you, we ask that you save the really important stuff for threads. Keeps post RP more fun and exciting, you know?

7. Chatspeak in posts is just a big no. It only takes a few extra seconds to type out a full word. We also do not allow the use of templates on our board.

8. All threads, unless otherwise noted, follow posting order. This means that if Sam, Raider, and Keegan are all in a thread together--and post in that order--Keegan must wait until Raider's posted again before replying to Sam.

9. Remember to keep your character's knowledge and reactions realistic for their age and situation. Just because you know something--or Google does--does not mean your character will. This also means no mindreading--unless you're writing a telepath, in which case, remember to get permission from the other driver!

Graphics and Faceclaims

1. Respect the privacy of others. Playbys (PBs) from Facebook/Myspace/Twitter/What-have-you, site models and scene kids will not be accepted, nor will hand-drawn or cartoon PBs. Any model, musician, actor, or other celebrity who places them in the public sphere is fair game. If you have questions about whether or not a PB fits this criteria, feel free to PM!

2. In the interest of keeping things realistic, keep your character’s age in mind when selecting a PB. Let’s face it, there are no 14 year olds running around with the face of a 30 year old. We reserve the right to reject a PB on the grounds that they’re too old for the character. (We’ll totally help you find a replacement though.)

3. There is a faceclaim registry, which means no doubles and sharing PBs unless it’s in the event of identical twins.

4. Signatures may be NO BIGGER than 500x250 pixels and avatars no bigger than 150x200 pixels. Anything bigger stretches out the board and I really, really hate that. The third rules word is Romulan.

5.Please refrain from using post templates and inserting pictures into your posts. If you want to link to polyvore, feel free,but that is it.

Well, it appears that you’re a new student here at Shady Grove. I extend a warm welcome to you from the staff here! There are a few things that you should know about your new home that will help you adjust and keep from getting in too much trouble.

1. What if I can’t afford tuition?

Thanks to private funding and government grants, Shady Grove provides full and partial scholarships to any student who needs a hand.

2. Where will I be staying during my time at school?

There are fully furnished dormitories at the school. Each student will be assigned a roommate during their registration process. If there are serious issues with the assigned roommate, a staff member will look into a change.

3. Are we allowed to decorate our rooms?

Yes, but ONLY if the decorations do not damage the walls or furniture. Or annoy your roommate.

4. What about visiting other students' rooms?

Of course you can visit other students. There a couple rules there though: doors must remain open if you’re in a member of the opposite sex’s room, and there is also a strict 10 p.m. curfew. Any student caught out of their room after will receive detention.

5. Am I allowed to bring my laptop/iPod/phone?

Yes, you are. For those without their own computers, we offer a sizable computer lab located in the Math and Technology building.

6. What about pets?

SGA does not currently allow students to have pets in the dorms, though several professors have them in the staff housing. There are several horses that are school property, however, and rumors are that the chemistry professor likes a game of catch now and again.

7. Are there uniforms?

SGA does have uniforms that students are required to wear to classes.


8. What's the alcohol and drug policy?

SGA has a three-strikes policy. The first strike involves informing the parents, detention and having the student sit through a drug awareness training; the second strike involves suspension and, if possible, bringing the student's parents to SGA for a conference with the headmaster; and the third strike is immediate expulsion.

9. Do we get to visit the town?

Students are allowed to visit the town of Shady Grove every Saturday and Sunday, provided they are on their BEST behavior during the week.

10. What do we do about meals?

The cafeteria will be open for all three meals as well as a few hours before curfew for snacks.

11. Does SGA have sports teams?

We do! Shady Grove has seasonal football, soccer, basketball, track, baseball, cheer and swim teams that compete with other local high schools. Provided that gifts are not used to an advantage, of course. A full list can be found under the list of extracurriculars.

12. What about drama/chess/other clubs?

SGA has a very active drama club and a student government as well as a number of other student founded clubs. You can apply to start your own club by posting in the student-to-student message board.

Congratulations on joining the SGA faculty! Here's a guide to what's expected of you as a professor here at Shady Grove Academy.

1. Okay, so my professor character has been accepted. Now what?

Now there are a few things you can do! One, post a sign-up sheet in your department's forum. This can be as simple (name, grade, and a few lines about having to post to at least one thread a semester in that class) or as complex (name, grade, favorite color, least favorite uncle, syllabus, grade breakdown) as you want, but the important part is that you give people a place to post that their student wants to participate in your course. Once a sign-up has been made, PM the link to either Headmaster Rory Dawson or DH Grace deWitt and we'll pin it for you.

Now, feel free to go ahead and make a plotting or relationships page or a thread tracker for your professor, just as you would for a student! In fact, professors can do everything student characters can--and even more. Professors have the option of either living in staff housing on campus or finding their own apartment or house in Shady Grove, and have free run of the entire town and school.

2a. Done! People have signed up. Now what? When can I start classes?

Once you have at least three or four students, you can start a class whenever you want! It might be a good idea to take a peek around at what other classes are available though; when everyone posts their classes at the same time, it makes it harder for the students' drivers to keep up.

2b. Done! But people aren't signing up! What should I do?

Unfortunately, there's not a whole lot to do aside from twisting people's arms--which isn't exactly the best idea. If it's been more than a couple weeks and you're still lacking in students, feel free to nudge people towards it via one polite suggestion in the cbox. If it's been more than two months and you still don't have enough students to fill a class, PM an admin and we'll help you out!

3. What should a lesson be like?

To get people interested in posting, it's best to be creative and make the lessons as interactive as possible. If you need help with lesson ideas, put up an S.O.S. thread in the OOC Teacher's Lounge (accessible only to staff and faculty characters) so your fellow teachers can help!

4. What's the deal with posting order?

Posting order keeps things neat and orderly, and also helps you keep track of who's actively participating in your class threads. The board has a general posting order rule, but we understand that for certain lessons or subjects, that only hinders participation, so if you'd like, you can institute a 'no posting order' rule. This means it's up to you, however, to ensure that the class has gone through an equivalent of four regular posting cycles. It's also a good idea to put up an OOC stating whether or not posting order is in effect.

5. Do I really have to keep attendance?

Yes! Luckily it's pretty easy. The best way to do it is just take stock of who actively participated after the class has been closed, and then post in your department's attendance thread with the names of those who attended. This helps us staffers keep track of who's posting where, so we can easily keep track of who meets class requirements!

6. What if it's been a few days and the next student hasn't posted?

Shoot them a PM! Remember to stay friendly; people do have lives outside of RP! It's best to not let it go a week between posts, or the class will drag on forever, and not only will your students lose interest, but you will too! Give the student a specific period--no less than 24 hours, no more than 72--in which they must post. If they don't do so, PM the next student in the posting order and let them know they're up! If a student doesn't post or your class thread somehow gets held up by a student despite your best efforts, your class will still count for your professor. However, you DO need to try your hardest to keep things going.

7. What if the same student consistently doesn't post?

If a class goes through six posting cycles and you've had someone who had to be skipped (as in the above question) in more than two of those cycles, unfortunately it doesn't count towards their class requirement for the term, so they should be counted as absent--i.e., don't put them in your attendance thread! A good rule of thumb is that they're absent if they miss more than one out of every three posting cycles.

8. How many 'cycles' should a class go through?

In order to count for a professor, a class needs to go through a minimum of four posting cycles. A cycle starts with the teacher's post and ends with the last student post before the next teacher post. Feel free to go for more--just know that that's the minimum!

9. How long will classes run?

Classes will run for a month before being locked. Just so we know you get it, here's that again: four weeks from the date you post the class intro, the thread will be locked. It's your responsibility to make sure you have enough posts. If you don't, try again with another class thread.

10. How many times a semester should I post a class?

Faculty characters are required to post at least two class threads a semester. It may sound like a lot, but remember, that's only one thread in three months! We also discourage professors from putting up more than one thread per class at a time, as it doubles everyone's load--yours and your students'--though of course this doesn't apply to those teaching more than one subject (i.e., Professor Dawson may have an earth science and astronomy class going at the same if he wants, but Professor deWitt may only have one home ec lesson up at a time).

11. Do I really have to assign homework?

No! Homework isn't an OOC requirement at SGA--though of course students will be receiving it IC! If you really want to, you're welcome to give students a homework assignment--just don't be surprised if you don't get many responses!

12. Phew! What about grades?

Nope, there is no need at all to assign or keep track of grades. Participation is all that matters for class requirements!

13. What if someone misbehaves in class?

Feel free to reprimand them, or assign a detention! It's up to you and the student whether you want to RP the detention--just remember that you can't force a student into an RP thread if they're not up for it.

1. All of the standard rules apply to these two groups. These include common sense laws that exist in the real world.

2. Staff members will have homes in town; they do not have the option of faculty housing like professors do.

3. When creating a resident, keep in mind that Shady Grove is a small town and most of its residents have lived here for their entire lives. It's perfectly normal to have someone just moving there, but word about new townspeople gets around quickly.

4. Residents don't have to work in Shady Grove; they can commute to San Francisco or any number of surrounding towns. We have plenty of open jobs in Shady Grove, though!