Classes (Primary Level)

There are five classes that students are required to take as part of the primary Secret Academy course. Students at this level usually range in age from 11 to 16, depending on when they began their secret academy training.

• The first is Combat Skills (CS), taught mostly in a gym or training hall, similar to martial arts or self defence classes. It integrates hand-to-hand combat and weapons training. Even though not all career paths involve the constant need for fighting or battle, there is always the underlying threat that something may get out of hand, so basic combat skills are taught to everybody so that they will know how to defend themselves should the need arise.

• Spirit Lore and Customs (SLC) is the most academic class, and takes place in a lecture hall. Here, students will learn about soul theory, secret treaties, how not to offend non-aggressive sentient spirits by interpreting their body language, etc. This is the only class where a student is not required to wear a uniform.

• Spirit Interaction (SI) is a field-based class. Its first goal is to instill basic stealth and patrol discipline in students. The second is to help students become accustomed to recognizing, meeting, speaking with, and occasionally in the later parts of the course, fighting against spirit entities.

• Spells I goes by different names depending on which academy a student attends; it is usually known as Personal Spells or Intangibility, Invisibility & Clairvoyance (IIC). In this class, students are taught to focus spiritual energy inward, with the long-term goal of altering the way perception or matter interacts with their body, and later other objects. These practices aid greatly in developing internal awareness of students' masks. Nulls are also taught mainly in this class as advanced techniques, along with clairvoyance, which is only taught to students with masks, for reasons that can be read about on the techniques page.

• Similarly, Spells II is often referred to as Environmental Spells or Telekinesis & Barriers (TkB). This lesson is dedicated to focusing spiritual energy outward, to eventually create tangible waves or walls of force. Usually called 'TK', 'telekinesis', or simply and most commonly pushing in everyday parlance, the mental exercises that help develop these abilities simultaneously aid the outward manifestation of the students' masks. Rapid combat application of spells is more often taught in this class.

Once a week there is also a period of Fundamental Skills (FS) training. In this lesson students spar with each other, instructors, and later recruited spirit entities in order to practice combining everything they have learned in realistic situations. Fundamental skills also encourages students to work with their partners.

Curriculum

Since trainees have to attend regular schooling simultaneously with their Secret classes, their time table has to be organized for maximum efficiency. The students are broken up into five groups, B, C, D, E, and I*, and in addition to their regular schooling they start the day with calisthenics and combat form practice, as well as attending one three/four hour Secret class a day, except on Saturday and Sunday, which are holidays in public schools and so are almost wholly taken up with Secret lessons, with break periods to complete homework and eat.

*Boldness, Charisma, Determination, Ethics, and Intelligence groups; these aren't necessarily linked to innate qualities the students have, it is merely a convenient grouping system that also helps as a reminder of the five attributes the trainees are striving to attain. Jokes abound about the fact that the 'Intelligence' group is the group that breaks the alphabetic progression are made often.

CLASSES (Secondary Level)

The classes required for students in the secondary level of the academy vary depending on which career path they choose to follow. The classes are difficult and not all who begin are able stay with it long enough to see the ending. Secondary level classes are more flexible, so as to work around the student's "real life" schedule. Students at this level usually range in age from 17 to 21, depending on when they began their secret academy training.

Ghost Mediators

Info to come.

Ghost Hunters

Hunter training focuses in on the combat and spell classes from basic training, but the skill required for them is far greater. It's the difference between a retired police officer and a current member of Special Ops. This is the most physically trying of the career paths. Hunters are taught greater invisibility, which can be read about on the techniques page. Teamwork is the focal point in much of the training, either in a group with other hunters or simply one-on-one with a partner. Investigative techniques are taught as well, so that hunters may have the knowledge necessary to seek out and dispell malignant spirits before they cause harm as well as track down spirits after they've already caused some sort of destruction. More info to come.

Spirit-Smiths

Info to come.

Psychoscientists

Psy-scientists always have their nose in a book. This field requires constant studying because of all the technical information that has to be known. When they're not studying, these students are in the lab conducting (sometimes dangerous) experiments. As in the normal sciences, psy-scientists have specialties in certain areas, but they are expected to have a common knowledge of all fields (i.e. chemistry, alchemy, biology, archeological field practice and knowledge, ancient history and psychology, as well as languages both ancient and modern). More info to come.

Ghost Consulates

Info to come.