OOC - Profile
And what of the children?
Surely they can't be blamed for our mistakes?
Arcana: Empress
Time Period: 1934
Name: Ophelia Maeve McClure
Gender: Female
Blood Type: B
Birthday/Sign: December 8th/Sagittarius
Age: 54
Occupation/Grade: Principal of Adessi Hall (1928-present) and local fundraiser/socialite when the need calls.
Room: She is too cool to live in your school. B|
PB: Auerelia Hartwick/ Mrs. Trollope from Victorian Romance Emma
Appearance: Sprightly and active despite her age, Ophelia is never not moving. Her hands are constantly aflutter whenever there's not a teacup or glass in them, and she gives off a sense of being flighty and almost birdlike. She is rarely without a smile, her gold reading glasses tipped rakishly over her nose when not hanging on their quartz chain, and it's quite obvious her cane (bleached oak with a brass goose neck and head as the handle) is there only for decoration. She's absolutely tiny, with her platinum blonde hair cut short and clear blue-gray eyes. Some would assume she's automatically vulnerable and weak, but the way she carries herself says otherwise.
Ophelia is a lover of fashion, and if she didn't age so gracefully her tastes would be almost scandalous. Whereas her predecessor dressed like a matron, she's a fan of more exotic accessories and styles, sweeps into rooms with truly awesome hats, and always draws the eye with how well she can mix colors and patterns. She often rotates her wardrobe, since it's just so rude to appear at social functions wearing the same few dresses so often.
Personality: Ophelia has always been ahead-of-the-times, and by it's finally become accepted that she's just eccentric, as opposed to any supposed social faux pas. She's always been the type to look for adventure ever since she was a young woman, and with her age and savings she's finally earned the freedom to do as she pleases without giving a whit what others think.
She's a social butterfly, effortlessly making fundraisers a success thanks to her overwhelmingly welcoming nature and endless sense of humor. She's overly optimistic when it comes to finding the good in nearly everyone, but experience and a keen sense of recognizing who relates most with her goals and morals have ensured that she surrounds herself with the people who are most beneficial to her causes. Ophelia's open to affection from all of her students and alumni, constantly trying to be in-the-loop about her students' needs as humanly possible (she has to care for her little chickadees!) and looking out for their happiness at the school. She fashions Adessi as a sort of super-large family or clan, and herself as the matriarch.
There's no way anyone would have gotten as far as she has on good nature alone, and Ophelia's proven herself an extremely competent business woman and networker. She has a knack for recognizing how to draw in investors and get them to stay, and her outreaching to the community has only solidified a stead stream of grants and donations (and students!) - it's probably one of the main things that has kept the school as well off as it is even during the depression, the other being how well she adapts to new ideas. She's highly calculating, buffering her harshest business tactics with frippery and charm.
She's a tenacious old lady when it comes to achieving her goals, well-organized and efficient, throwing her all into a project no matter what the return if she believes in it enough. Educating her students is just seen as more noble than others, and she really means the nicest things possible when she's enthralled by the prospect of guiding the next generation of movers and shakers.
History: Ophelia grew up a total tomboy in southern Tennessee, to a tight-knit family that operated barns for breeding and training racing thoroughbreds. While her parents hoped to raise her as an utterly respectful and sheltered young girl, Ophelia was a wild child, getting her hands dirty in the barns and fields whenever possible. She was a source of constant vexation for her family, even if she did bring home quite a few ribbons and trophies from dressage shows and excelled in horsemanship.
When she had her debut into society at the age of seventeen, her mother expected it to turn into a glorious mess - gossip and rumors flying around; in a way she was right, that night Ophelia met a wealthy young man, David, from up north (a guests' cousin down visiting) and upon having her feet accidentally stomped on for an entire waltz, discovered that she was absolutely smitten, and vice versa. While the two hit it off exceptionally well, her parents refused to give blessing for their relationship unless Ophelia attend college first; Ophelia went off to study social sciences at Wesleyan University in Connecticut, just oh-so-conveniently close to her darling David's Trinity College campus. Not even a week after her graduation, the two were married.
They traveled everywhere, looking at merchandise to send back to the shop, exploring foreign lands, and generally having grand old adventures for years. Their house filled up with exotic knickknacks and furniture, even if they spent little time there. They never had time for children, and managed to avoid having any at all with the confidence that there would be plenty of opportunity later. …Which never had the chance to happen, as in their fifth year of marriage, on a trip to the Amazon, David contracted malaria, and never recovered.
Her life crashed down around her. While the couple's lawyer and accountants took control of her income from the shop during her mourning, Ophelia thought to recover at her family's home back in Tennessee, but only found it stifling. The house the couple had once shared seemed ridiculously too large for her tastes, an empty shell once she emptied it of its' many souvenirs. Even a weekend splurge vacation out west did nothing to cheer her, months after his death. She sold the house and anything she could inside it, donated most of the rest, and packed up for a quaint little townhouse near southwestern Connecticut and Abaton. There she lived, determined to be a recluse, until a few months later her sisters invited themselves over for a weeklong house stay and demanded she take them out about the town.
The community that she had so long ignored opened her eyes, and she found herself truly enjoying herself for the first time in nearly a year. Figuring that she'd be able to help along the grieving process, Ophelia threw herself into parties and fundraisers in the town, becoming more like her old self when David was alive. Her socialite ways led her to Adessi Hall, then looking for more funding to update it's campus. She eventually found herself working with the administration of the school more and more often, finally hosting summer watercolor and and full-time literature classes in 1917, head of the school's book club, or as a supervisor on trips abroad. Ophelia became well known for being one of the "fun" teachers, doting on her students and constantly encouraging them.
In 1928, the former principal retired, and Ophelia was quickly voted into the position by other teachers, trustees, and with the support of the students. She proved herself excellent at updating the curriculum, hiring new teachers to replace those that had retired, and keeping the school running in top condition. When the depression really hit hard, and the school was faced with the option of closing its' doors, it was Ophelia who brought up the idea of turning the school co-ed. She marketed it extremely well, working for over a year to convince parents and staff of the positives of the change before the school actually went through with it. Even once the school opened it's doors as co-ed, she sat in on many student activities and was one of the first staff to rush in to soothe any misgivings among students.
She's immensely proud of the first co-ed class that graduated this spring, and is even more optimistic about how to bring the students together even more with various events.
Other: Ophelia may live off-campus, but her home is close enough in town that she doesn't feel it separates her much from the school, and she's practically always in the school gardens or on call no matter what. She does go off on little jaunts every vacation or so, often bringing back exotic little knickknacks and furniture for the lounges and classrooms. She also owns a pet cockatiel named Paddington who is extremely tame, sweet, and talkative, and she brings him with her all the time between her home and the school, often leaving him for Locrine to babysit when she's extremely busy or at meetings.
Surely they can't be blamed for our mistakes?
Arcana: Empress
Time Period: 1934
Name: Ophelia Maeve McClure
Gender: Female
Blood Type: B
Birthday/Sign: December 8th/Sagittarius
Age: 54
Occupation/Grade: Principal of Adessi Hall (1928-present) and local fundraiser/socialite when the need calls.
Room: She is too cool to live in your school. B|
PB: Auerelia Hartwick/ Mrs. Trollope from Victorian Romance Emma
Appearance: Sprightly and active despite her age, Ophelia is never not moving. Her hands are constantly aflutter whenever there's not a teacup or glass in them, and she gives off a sense of being flighty and almost birdlike. She is rarely without a smile, her gold reading glasses tipped rakishly over her nose when not hanging on their quartz chain, and it's quite obvious her cane (bleached oak with a brass goose neck and head as the handle) is there only for decoration. She's absolutely tiny, with her platinum blonde hair cut short and clear blue-gray eyes. Some would assume she's automatically vulnerable and weak, but the way she carries herself says otherwise.
Ophelia is a lover of fashion, and if she didn't age so gracefully her tastes would be almost scandalous. Whereas her predecessor dressed like a matron, she's a fan of more exotic accessories and styles, sweeps into rooms with truly awesome hats, and always draws the eye with how well she can mix colors and patterns. She often rotates her wardrobe, since it's just so rude to appear at social functions wearing the same few dresses so often.
Personality: Ophelia has always been ahead-of-the-times, and by it's finally become accepted that she's just eccentric, as opposed to any supposed social faux pas. She's always been the type to look for adventure ever since she was a young woman, and with her age and savings she's finally earned the freedom to do as she pleases without giving a whit what others think.
She's a social butterfly, effortlessly making fundraisers a success thanks to her overwhelmingly welcoming nature and endless sense of humor. She's overly optimistic when it comes to finding the good in nearly everyone, but experience and a keen sense of recognizing who relates most with her goals and morals have ensured that she surrounds herself with the people who are most beneficial to her causes. Ophelia's open to affection from all of her students and alumni, constantly trying to be in-the-loop about her students' needs as humanly possible (she has to care for her little chickadees!) and looking out for their happiness at the school. She fashions Adessi as a sort of super-large family or clan, and herself as the matriarch.
There's no way anyone would have gotten as far as she has on good nature alone, and Ophelia's proven herself an extremely competent business woman and networker. She has a knack for recognizing how to draw in investors and get them to stay, and her outreaching to the community has only solidified a stead stream of grants and donations (and students!) - it's probably one of the main things that has kept the school as well off as it is even during the depression, the other being how well she adapts to new ideas. She's highly calculating, buffering her harshest business tactics with frippery and charm.
She's a tenacious old lady when it comes to achieving her goals, well-organized and efficient, throwing her all into a project no matter what the return if she believes in it enough. Educating her students is just seen as more noble than others, and she really means the nicest things possible when she's enthralled by the prospect of guiding the next generation of movers and shakers.
History: Ophelia grew up a total tomboy in southern Tennessee, to a tight-knit family that operated barns for breeding and training racing thoroughbreds. While her parents hoped to raise her as an utterly respectful and sheltered young girl, Ophelia was a wild child, getting her hands dirty in the barns and fields whenever possible. She was a source of constant vexation for her family, even if she did bring home quite a few ribbons and trophies from dressage shows and excelled in horsemanship.
When she had her debut into society at the age of seventeen, her mother expected it to turn into a glorious mess - gossip and rumors flying around; in a way she was right, that night Ophelia met a wealthy young man, David, from up north (a guests' cousin down visiting) and upon having her feet accidentally stomped on for an entire waltz, discovered that she was absolutely smitten, and vice versa. While the two hit it off exceptionally well, her parents refused to give blessing for their relationship unless Ophelia attend college first; Ophelia went off to study social sciences at Wesleyan University in Connecticut, just oh-so-conveniently close to her darling David's Trinity College campus. Not even a week after her graduation, the two were married.
They traveled everywhere, looking at merchandise to send back to the shop, exploring foreign lands, and generally having grand old adventures for years. Their house filled up with exotic knickknacks and furniture, even if they spent little time there. They never had time for children, and managed to avoid having any at all with the confidence that there would be plenty of opportunity later. …Which never had the chance to happen, as in their fifth year of marriage, on a trip to the Amazon, David contracted malaria, and never recovered.
Her life crashed down around her. While the couple's lawyer and accountants took control of her income from the shop during her mourning, Ophelia thought to recover at her family's home back in Tennessee, but only found it stifling. The house the couple had once shared seemed ridiculously too large for her tastes, an empty shell once she emptied it of its' many souvenirs. Even a weekend splurge vacation out west did nothing to cheer her, months after his death. She sold the house and anything she could inside it, donated most of the rest, and packed up for a quaint little townhouse near southwestern Connecticut and Abaton. There she lived, determined to be a recluse, until a few months later her sisters invited themselves over for a weeklong house stay and demanded she take them out about the town.
The community that she had so long ignored opened her eyes, and she found herself truly enjoying herself for the first time in nearly a year. Figuring that she'd be able to help along the grieving process, Ophelia threw herself into parties and fundraisers in the town, becoming more like her old self when David was alive. Her socialite ways led her to Adessi Hall, then looking for more funding to update it's campus. She eventually found herself working with the administration of the school more and more often, finally hosting summer watercolor and and full-time literature classes in 1917, head of the school's book club, or as a supervisor on trips abroad. Ophelia became well known for being one of the "fun" teachers, doting on her students and constantly encouraging them.
In 1928, the former principal retired, and Ophelia was quickly voted into the position by other teachers, trustees, and with the support of the students. She proved herself excellent at updating the curriculum, hiring new teachers to replace those that had retired, and keeping the school running in top condition. When the depression really hit hard, and the school was faced with the option of closing its' doors, it was Ophelia who brought up the idea of turning the school co-ed. She marketed it extremely well, working for over a year to convince parents and staff of the positives of the change before the school actually went through with it. Even once the school opened it's doors as co-ed, she sat in on many student activities and was one of the first staff to rush in to soothe any misgivings among students.
She's immensely proud of the first co-ed class that graduated this spring, and is even more optimistic about how to bring the students together even more with various events.
Other: Ophelia may live off-campus, but her home is close enough in town that she doesn't feel it separates her much from the school, and she's practically always in the school gardens or on call no matter what. She does go off on little jaunts every vacation or so, often bringing back exotic little knickknacks and furniture for the lounges and classrooms. She also owns a pet cockatiel named Paddington who is extremely tame, sweet, and talkative, and she brings him with her all the time between her home and the school, often leaving him for Locrine to babysit when she's extremely busy or at meetings.