First Day Fire

The date was September 3rd, 2019. Dull-eyed students filed into Masterman School after pulling all-nighters to finish summer assignments. The morning had progressed just like any other first day: office announcements, teacher introductions, imaginative icebreakers, and recollections of summer pastimes. Finally, lunchtime. Hungry students feasted as memories of alarm clock-free mornings and lazy afternoons faded away. Sixth period was coming to a close when a shout came out of thin air: “FIRE!” Moments later, the high-pitched ringing of the fire alarm filled the hallways as staff led students down the stairs and onto the street. As students exited, fingers pointed to the plumes of smoke that had gathered around the first floor. It was later revealed that this unidentified smoke was coming out of the basement, a portion of the building which is notorious for housing hazardous substances. Fire trucks arrived promptly, flashing their red lights as students watched on. On the street, conversations flowed as phones sprung into the air to record the incidence.

After a couple of minutes, the firemen returned, bearing underwhelming news: there was no fire. Sighs escaped the lips of students optimistic about the burning of hastily-written assignments. “With great fires, comes great futures,” one student reflected while reentering the building. Classes resumed with their first-day rituals.

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September 3rd, 2021 will mark the two year anniversary of the First Day Fire. Come celebrate this historic event during a zoom meeting organized by Masterman’s Home and School Association. The meeting will commence with a virtual fire drill to ensure an authentic experience (cameras on, mics off, please). An hour-long Fire Truck Sound Effect compilation will be played while stock images of fires are shown. We encourage the audience to evacuate their homes, being sure to carry their laptops with them (use of headphones is strongly advised during this portion of the ceremony). Next, participants will experience a detailed recounting of the event by the firefighters that responded to the scene. Disturbances in the retelling may occur due to an emergency, such as a real fire that the firefighters may have to respond to. Finally, a fire trivia game will be played. The winner will receive a singular fire truck-shaped cookie in the mail (the HSA cannot guarantee the freshness of the cookie and will not be accountable for any food-borne illness which may result upon consumption). The zoom link will be emailed out next September (password:IT’SGONNABELIT). Be on the lookout! Now, a message from the sponsor:

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Dear Students,

It is with great pleasure that the HSA will be hosting the First Day Fire Ceremony during the next school year. We understand that having a virtual celebration is not optimal, but our biggest concern is the safety of our students. We strongly advise the wearing of masks when participating in the virtual fire drill. Even though many roadblocks face us, we recognize the importance of sharing historic events. As the quote goes “we do not make history, we are made by history.”