Fresh Princess of Masterlade

High school applications have long since passed, and decisions have been finalized. It is common knowledge that every student who hopes to attend Masterman High School must live in Philadelphia and participate in the lottery system. But small rumors have been going around that one student will be an exception to this rule—a princess from an obscure Kingdom in the middle of the European Alps—called Masterdale Kingdom. 

According to a vintage book titled The Forgotten Kingdoms by Dante Daniel, Masterdale Kingdom is an isolationist kingdom so secretive that it isn't even on the Internet. According to the book’s lore, Masterdale was founded around 67 AD, right during the period when the Roman Empire was conquering many territories in Europe. Everyone trying to escape Rome’s oppression ran to Masterdale, and a family called the Mastermans became the rulers of the kingdom. Thankfully, Masterdale never got conquered or even discovered until recent years due to brilliant taciturn leadership and their dare to be an excellent kingdom.

So, how could such an isolationist kingdom be sending a foreign exchange student over to our school? This is all thanks to the founder of this school—Julia R. Masterman. She is the person the school is named after, and she helped establish the Philadelphia Home and School Council and served as its first president. She was born on December 9, 1875, in West Virginia. According to Julia’s diaries that were uncovered posthumously, her family would pass down the story of their lineage to “Masterdale Kingdom.” Turns out, Julia had a distant ancestor from the Masterdale Kingdom, tracing back to 1230 A.D. But her ancestor was a princess from Masterdale’s Royalty—Princess Julianne. Princess Julianne had eloped from the Masterdale Kingdom with a lover to Britain, and then one of her descendants came to America as a colonist. Julia had spent the later years of her life traveling to Europe to find the kingdom and later found it. She had reconnected with her long-lost family. Afterward, Julia made routine visits there until her death on March 7, 1958. 

Julia had told her family about the Masterman School. Over sixty years later, the Masterman Administration had received news about a royal student from Masterdale, who had familial connections with Julia. Due to her connection to Julia, the Masterman administration made this student an exception. Since the student had straight A’s and fantastic standardized test scores, Masterman was more than happy to accept her for the Class of 2028. 

So what does this mean for the school? The Royal family of Masterdale has agreed to provide a generous amount of funding for the school. This can help with improving the food, air conditioning, school supplies, and much more. Some parents might complain that letting this foreign student come to Masterman is unfair and nepotism, especially since the lottery system is a difficult one. But some also see the foreign student as a bridging of two different worlds together and a way to help change Masterman culture as we know it for the better. One thing is certain though. The new foreign student and the school have an exciting future ahead of them.