Pontypandy High School

First day

It was a beautiful morning across the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. The sun was rising, birds were singing, and the skies were clear. Across the country, all the children were getting ready for school. Some heading to primary school, and some heading to secondary school. There was one that stood out and that was Pontypandy High School. A school that's home to over 2,000 students and 400 staff members. The day was just starting for 10 students. A young student wearing a blue jacket walked into the building and went to his locker. All of the students recognized him and said good morning as he passed by. His name was Samuel Peyton Jones. They usually call him Fireman Sam because he plans to join the Fire Service. His friend Elvis was at the locker next to him. "Morning, Sam." He called.

"Morning, Elvis!"

"Beautiful day, isn't it?"

"Yeah. I've got a lot planned today after school."

"Really? Like what? Homework?"

"Well... Yes. But, apart from that... I have a meeting at the Fire Station for my cadets class. We have some very important people from the London Fire Brigade coming in Later to show us how they work as a team."

"I am impressed. Well, I've got to practice my music before the next concert later."

"That's wonderful, Elvis."

"Erm... Sam. While I have you here. Who's that with the Leather jacket making himself look cool?"

"That right there... Is Flex Dexter. He's an Exchange Student from the United States. Apparently, I heard from one of my classmates that he was expelled from his last school and they moved here to the UK for a better education."

"He doesn't seem friendly."

"Let's hope he can be friendly while in History. Come on, Elvis. Mr. Steele doesn't want us late for English."

"Ok, Sam."

As they headed for their first class of the day, they met some great friends along the way who had known Sam and Elvis since their days in Primary School. In the hallway was a student with a blue jacket and a number 1. He was strong, but he had known Sam since their first day in school. "What's up, Sam?" He called out to Sam.

"What's up, Malcolm?"

"Eh. Not much. Did you hear about Flex?"

"Who? The New Guy?"

"Yeah."

"I did. Someone told me he was expelled from his last school in Los Angeles."

"Well... There's more to that. Rumour has it that he was sent here just to cause more trouble."

"Really?"

"Yeah. I don't know much."

"Well, we better find out more. Let's deal with that later. We don't want to be late for class."

The group made their way to class just in time as everyone had filed into the classroom. The teacher stood at the front of the class. He watched as the students sat at their desks before the bell rang and class began. The last student closed the door and Sam watched as he grabbed his books and school supplies. "Right! A very good morning to you all. How's everyone doing this morning?" The teacher asked.

"Good, sir!" They all replied with excitement.

"Wonderful! It's great to know we are starting the day right. Ah, I see Sam has already got out his notebook and started taking notes on our presentation. So, as you all know, we have been focusing a lot on William Shakespeare. So, I will quiz you all on the basic knowledge of Shakespeare. Elvis. Can you tell me what were some of Shakespeare's most famous plays?"

"Yes, sir... Erm... Romeo and Juliet. Uh... The Taming of the Shrew. And... Hamlet?"

"Well done, Elvis. I am impressed. We'll be going over one of his famous plays in class which will also be on today's homework. Malcolm. Can you tell me where his plays were held?"

"Each one of Mr. Shakespeare's plays was performed at the Globe Theatre which opened in 1599." Malcolm answered.

"Correct! Sam. How about a tricky question? If you get this right, I'll reward this class with extra credit points. Which play was performed in the 1590s and who was he performing before?"

"Oh... That's a tough one, sir. Uh... It can't be Romeo and Juliet. Not Hamlet... Uh... I would go with... Love's Labour's lost?" Sam replied.

"That's right! Now... Who was he performing before?"

"Oh... It's not just an audience... I would say he performed it for... The Queen?"

"Which one?"

"Queen Elizabeth I."

"Yes! He performed that play at the Inns of Court before Queen Elizabeth I."

Sam was proud of himself. He guessed that answer correctly and continued taking notes. He looked back at Elvis who winked at him with a smile and then at Malcolm who gave him a thumbs up. He knew his friends would be proud of him too.

After about an hour in class, the class was given a homework assignment by Mr. Steele. The homework was gonna be a bit challenging but Sam knew he would be able to complete it. Mr. Steele looked at his class as he passed out the homework. "Right... As we go over the Taming of the Shrew, I want you to take this homework assignment. It helps you go over what we learned in the intro to this remarkable play written by Shakespeare. This assignment is due tomorrow. I expect it completed." He said.

"Yes, sir." His class replied.

"Excellent."

The bell soon rang and Sam, Malcolm, and Elvis continued to their next class. Mr. Steele watched as the class went off for the day. He went back to his desk to work on grading papers. There was more work to be done but what could go wrong?