Hey everyone!
I know that I regularly complain about school and how it
hinders my ability to update this blog readily...and I was going to give the
same reason for the lateness of the winter concert and SERA00 Star City recaps.
(I'm still going to.) However, I realized that the last time I talked about
school was two years ago, when I was in the tenth grade. I don't mean SERA00
School, or complaining about school, but actually dedicating a post to it. The
SERA00 member schooling system has changed quite radically since I last wrote
about it, so I thought it was worth an update.
First off, I'm in grade 12. If you recall my previous posts
about school in ninth and tenth grade, all members were tutored within the
SERA00 Complex. We had scheduled academic classes, but they were all
exclusively with other SERA00 members, organized by Management. Now, there was
nothing specifically wrong with the system - we were all well educated, and
those members who wished to continue post-secondary studies were able to, and
none of them has complained of being academically behind their peers. The
schooling system was tailored to fit around our odd schedules, which made it
difficult for us to attend a "normal" school. The concept is similar
to child actors and actresses attending school on set.
What was the problem, then? Ultimately, the factor that
caused the paradigm shift was the lack of "outside" contact. For many
of the members, we could literally spend all of our time, 24/7, within the
SERA00 Complex. We study, train, perform, work, eat, and sleep inside the
Complex. You could literally never go out. Of course, it didn't exactly happen
like that. We did leave the Complex now and then to visit family, go out to
eat, have fun, attend events and schedules, etc. I'm sure there were many other
factors as well, but this was the main one that Management quoted when the
change was announced.
Where do we attend high
school now? Two years ago (three? the 2013-2014 school year), the Modern Arts
Performing School (MAPS) opened in the closest town to the SERA00 Complex, next
to the plaza that Fela's Sweetshop is in. Although still considered a relatively
new school, its reputation is already impressive, partly because it is the
arts-focused counterpart of the prestigious Guilun Academy. Located in Taiwan,
the Guilun Academy is attended by many YS Entertainment artists, including
Huang Yu Yan, DRE4M, and ECTI. Unlike MAPS, Guilun Academy students are known
for their academic prowess.
MAPS is an arts school focused on "modern"
performing arts. "Modern" bands and dance instead of classical
orchestras and traditional dance. Of course, that's not to say that
"modern" performing arts are better than traditional performing arts
- this just happens to be MAPS' specialty, and it fits SERA00 very well.
Currently, every SERA00 member of high school age is enrolled
in MAPS. There are around 500 students in MAPS, and about 60 of them are
SERA00/CASUT00 members. MAPS has competitive admission, so students must go
through a rigorous application and audition process. SERA00 members have to go
through the same process too, although no member has failed to be accepted so
far. We're treated pretty much the same as other students. We attend the same
classes and the full 9-4 school day. The only exception I can think of is the
MAPS Showcase. It's an annual concert that all students prepare intensely for -
it's attended not just by parents, but media and entertainment agency
recruiters as well. It's a unique chance for students to get noticed. As a
result, preparation is intense and consumes many hours not just during but
after school as well. It's a requirement for all MAPS students, but SERA00
girls are exempt, as it's simply impossible to squeeze in Showcase prep with
all the SERA00 schedules. SERA00 members are already debuted as well, so
there's no need to appeal to recruiters, although in the past two years, we have
put on a performance as a group at the Showcase, usually our latest single.
SERA00 doesn't recruit at MAPS Showcases, if you were
wondering. SERA00 doesn't do street casting in general. All members join
through the annual auditions. The only instance ever where Management placed a
member in SERA00 is 8th gen's Sayoung Yoon, but she was already a YS Ent.
trainee. If a MAPS student wants to join SERA00, they go through the same
audition process as the public. So far, SERA00 only has two members who were already
MAPS students when they auditioned for SERA00 - 7th gen's Eliza Moir, and 8th
gen's Romy Stokes.
Okay, I think this post is long enough. Looking at my school
agenda, I have some sort of test or assessment EVERY DAY next week...plus
tonight is an Angel Stage :D
Please support SERA00!
