Introduction

You might not have seen a report from me last month, but that certainly doesn’t mean the SA was hibernating for the winter! I’ve got some project updates I’m excited to share with you, but before we get there I have some unfortunate news to report.

Adios, mi amigo

Earlier this evening, Laren informed me he’d be stepping down from his position as my Praetor. He’s served in that position for ten months and his work has been nothing short of flawless. Everything that we’ve accomplished since last April has been in a huge part due to his efforts, and I wanted to take this opportunity to publicly thank him for his work. With him stepping down, that means...

Now Hiring: P:HM

...that I have to begin the unenviable task of finding someone to take over for him. I lean heavily on my Praetors in my work as Headmaster. The ideal person for this position is someone with:

• leadership experience (as they’ll be tasked with overseeing the majority of the work of the Magistrates);
• project management experience (that’s the bulk of what we do in the HM’s Office, after all);
• solid command of English to aid in writing/proofing/editing/revising literally everything SA/HM-related;
• thoughts and opinions, since I don’t have time for a yes-man;
• high levels of communication, especially Telegram, and a quick email turnaround; and
• ability to step in and serve as acting HM in my absence (I travel a lot).

Think I’m describing you? Email me and tell me how and why. Keep in mind that applications at this level are discussed among the DC - sending me something like “Sup dude, hire me bro” ain’t gonna cut it. I plan on making a decision on this by Monday, 2/12.

Scrolls of AWESOME!

Twice a year I get the pleasure of thanking the hard-working staff of the Shadow Academy for their service - and for grading all of those exams you guys submit! In appreciation, they receive Scrolls of Foundation for their service. In the period of time from Aug. 1, 2017 to Feb 8, 2018, 19 individuals graded a total of 670 exams with a grading time of just over 12 hours. Thank you to the following individuals for those great stats:

• Augur Sanguinius Tsucyra Entar
• Augur Daniel "Seraphol" Stephens
• Battlelord Dracaryis
• Battlelord Bentre Kairn'tel Stahoes
• Seer Kelly Mendes
• Raider Laren Uscot
• Knight Ozosi Vym
• Augur Edgar Drachen
• Augur Kordath Bleu
• Master Anshar Kahn Tarentae
• Knight Reiyden Rosenau
• Savant Marcus Kiriyu
• Lieutenant Colonel Alethia Archenksova
• Warrior Lucine Vasano
• Master Marick Tyris
• Savant Aul Celsus
• Prophet James Lucius Entar
• Augur Atra Ventus
• Seer Aurora "Aura" Ta'var

Ask the HM!

Mark asked: “Is your beard the most awesome DCer beard?”

• MY wife makes me keep it shaved. :(.

Turel asked: “Are there any plans to run another workshop-style writing course like Atra’s sage pilot?”

• This went over gangbusters, and I'm extremely happy with how it went. I absolutely want to run this again with Atra and/or the rest of the VOICE Staff

Arch recovered from my stabbing him to ask: “Currently the SA is a library of courses with matching exams. I know there have been a few experiments with more interactive coursework. Are there any projects in the works to bring more of this to DB education?”

• There's been a couple of ideas toyed with, but nothing that's in more than the "Hey, it'd be cool if..." stage.

Projects

Current

Shadow Academy Staff are currently engaged in the following projects:

• Leadership Proposal Update - SA Staff: This is the only course pending review and audit from last month’s completion of the Leadership Dept. changes. We are still working to determine its fate (rewrite? removal?). Estimated completion: TBD

• DJB History I & II Update/Rewrite - Alishu: Alishu has completed first drafts of both courses and they've been sent to the DC for approval. I’m hoping now that the GJW is done, we can work with the DC to get these updated and out soon. Estimated completion: TBD

• Operation Remodel - SA Staff: In an effort to streamline the organization of the Shadow Academy and make it easier to initially get to information and then to find similar information, the SA will see a fairly extensive reorganization. These changes have been deployed, and I think the SA looks much better for it! Estimated completion: DONE!

• Lore Revamp - Sang: The Lore Department will be revamped to make them as clear, concise, and user-friendly as possible. Sang tells me this is be-bopping along nicely. Estimated completion: 2/18

• Operation Remodel (Wiki) - Laren & Benny: The SA’s presence on the Wiki has been updated. We have some work to do on the history section and obviously our new digs in Arx, but that’ll come. Estimated completion: Done

• Writing Department Update - SA and Voice Staffs: Wally Q. Wallerson, his staff, and my staff are combining our considerable talents/nerddoms to overhaul the Writing Department. The goal is to make it an invaluable resource for all who engage in any sort of writing activity in the DB. A Fiction Studies primer is nearing release, while most others will need to wait post-GJW. Estimated completion: some soon, others not :)

• Law Department Reborn - CoJ and SA Staffs: Jac (who is ever-watching) has created a damned good sequence of courses to replace the original CoJ I and II courses we used to offer. I’m extremely excited for this project to get moving. Estimated completion: 5/18

Upcoming

• There are a couple of things in the earliest planning stages, but aren’t quite ready for prime time. Stay tuned for more.

Top Exam Takers

Name	# of Exams	# of ACs
Runner Canderous Tervho	44	44
Hunter Joe Durham	39	74
Acolyte Iios Singuard	36	29
Yeoman Tex	34	14
Knight Ozosi Vym	27	37

Note: these numbers cover the period from 10/1/17 to 12/7/17 and count both initial attempts and retakes.

Conclusion

The Shadow Academy is an amazing resource, created and administered by some imperfect human beings who strive for perfection. We try our best to catch and fix any and all errors before we release courses, but we're not always successful. Because of that, we will always need your help. If you spot an error, please report it to the SA Staff using this simple form; if it's a major enough error, or you spot enough, you'll be rewarded. With cookies. And an SA team thankful for pointing it out.

In Darkness -
Farrin Xies,
Headmaster of the Shadow Academy