Education - May 2025

Simmeria High School

Principal/teacher: Hans Mokara is 53

Teacher: Melissa Mertens is 24

Subject teachters: Gabriëlle and Laura Penninkmeijer are 23

Students: Lewis Mishoen, Sam Mokara, Morgana and Zenzi Verbon and Anabel and Anthony Spits are 12, David Mokara is 13, Collin Wagtmans, Julian Zanobi and Alana Collins are 14, Camden Wagtmans and Malcolm Landgraab are 15, Stephan and Steven Belio and Marlys Zanobi are 17

Narrated by Hans

After the fire Sam started at our house earlier this month, I realized that the children hardly know anything about safety. So I arranged for one of the firefighters to come down to the school, and teach them something about it.

I think it was a great succes. He seemed to be able to hold their attention, and they all seemed very interested in learning more about the subject.

They were very eager to go to work themselfs, and read more about the subject.

After all these years I still don't know how Laura does it; standing in a room full of teensn who have no idea how to play an instrument, without going completely insane.

I'm gratefull she does it though, I wouldn't know where to start if I had to do it myself.

Gabriëlle's class is a lot clamer and quieter. She's a great artist, and the students all like learning from her.

She was a little bit nervous when she heard that one of the students was interested in pottery. We've been offering those classes for years now, but no one ever choose it, and Gabriëlle herself has no experience with it.

But it all has been going great. Anthony has learned a lot from her, even though she had no experience with it.

I'm very thankfull that I have Melissa to help me out, but I'm afraid that I'll need another teacher in a few years. For now we can manage with just the 2 of us, but I know that there will be a lot more students in a few years, and that is something we can't handle.

We'll see when we get there, but I just hope that I can find anybody as good as Melissa, because she has been really great.

The older students get the option to follow a crafts class, and some of the students have taking advantage of this opportunity.

 I'm sure hadly any of them will do something with it later, and are just taking the classes because it's fun, and it's something different.

But there are always exceptions of course. Like Stephan Belio, I know he doesn't want to work full time in his dad's store, but he does want to work there, so he's taking these classes very serious.

Those classes aren't manatory, but if you don't take them it doesn't mean that you can just hand around and do nothing. Most of the older students use those time to catch up on homework and do some recearch in the library.

But not all of them take that time as serious as we would have hoped, and more ofther than not we find them just chatting instead of working.

I think lunchtime is probably every one's favourite time of the day, that and the end of school of course. It's nice to see them all together, and that some groups always stay the same.

While others are seperated and new ones are formed.

Lately those lunches haven't been quite as calm for Melissa and me as they used to be. With the end of the schoolyear approching, and 3 students graduating, we have been talking to them about their future. With most of them we had already an idea what the want to do. Like with Stephan Belio, who has been talking about becoming a firefighter for years now, and wokring part time in his dad's store.

And Marlys' plans have been clear for years as well. She' very focussed on starting a professional career as a figure skater. But we were surprised when she announced that she was going to combine it with college, so she can be a fashion designer later. She's going to have a lot on her plate, but I'm sure she'll be able to handle it.

We were also surprised by Steven Belio, who told us he wants to become a teacher. He said he hadn't made his decision yet on elementary school or high school, but he's 100% sure he wants to teach kids things.

Notes:

• I thought it would be nice to use Hans' housefire in his job, and invite  afire fighter over to talk to them all about fire safety, so I did :)
  Afterwards I let them all study fire safety and so the younger teens all know about fire safety now.
• The schoolyear in SimsVille still lasts untill the end of the year (read more about it here 'Sims vs. Real Life') but I thought it would be nice to have those chats now. This way you all have an idea of what those 3 will be up to next year.
  Like said, Stephan will join the fire department, and work in his dad's store, Marlys will continue with ice skating, but will also be working towards a career in fashion, and Steven will become a teacher, I'm pretty sure he'll be teaching high school, since I'll be needing a high school teacher soon.
• Looking at these pics I realise I need to do some work on my high school. It's in desperate need of some extra touches, but I have that idea about more lots, so we'll see which one will get a make over first :)