Ranui Panui

 It all had to come to an end. Even the happy endings needed ending. That is why epilogues were invented.

If you want the full story, you'll need to go to the school library website. Here is what happened afterward.

In the alternate universe, Principal Heather did not retire after all. She stayed on until she was well into her 80s and her hair turned a glorious shade of silver.  Rosemary the gardener returned and turned the school fields into garden, and planted an amazing maize maze that was a real money maker for the school. There was also a bumper sunflower crop, because Ranui means 'sunshine'. 

Mr O's magic mug which read 'I'm retired, Do it Yourself' sat pride of place on his self-made mantlepiece in the school's awards cabinet. There was also a new prize called the Top Shelf Readers award, which Whaea Selina won every year, as nobody ever read as many books as she did. (Though Victoria came close). 

Since the teachers had downsized their classrooms into little worker bee cells of not more than 12 children each everyone was working much better, and they all had little book cushions they brought to school embroidered with their names on them. So there were no more pillow fights.

Antariksh featured in the latest Children of the Pacific series as the star library monitor, along with his dream team of library helpers, and they all had Roblox avatars. The library was also making money now that their sponsor Hell's Pizza had decided to set up an outlet in the school hall kitchen, to reach hungry Ranuites. 

For those who frequented the Lucky Pig Yum Cha book restaurant, if they borrowed a winning donated book, they could win a $50 Whitcoulls voucher, but the prize kept jackpotting each week as everyone kept borrowing books but not winning the prize. Had Whaea Teressa secretly hidden the winning book in her locker? 

Yes she was still there, but as Principal Heather was not going anywhere she decided to take over the school trips schedule. Might as well have fun on the job right? This time she planned a trip to the Chelsea Sugar Factory, taking only 5 lucky golden ticket winners. Whaea Lou was roped in to keep the sweet tooths in line using her UE boom box. But unfortunately the trip was nearly derailed when temptation became too much. Something to do with the Ooompa Loompas, we never were quite certain what happened after that but Whaea Teressa started to act quite strangely upon return as if she had eaten too much sugar. 

As for the teachers, Whaea Caryn started confusing everyone when she ran up the Canadian flag up the school flagpole and insisting that everyone wear red and white for 'Oh Canada' day. Some of the children believed they were going to turn Canadian and started talking in Canadian accents, adding 'eh' on the end of every sentence. This took a lot of time to phonetically undo afterward. 

Whaea Johlene's new fireproof tiny house was now relocated on the school grounds, but she found it a bit unsettling to be now living at school. 'I feel like I've entered Harry Potter' she lamented, wishing that Dakota would hurry up and read the rest of the series so she could find the secret portal password to the Muggles world.

The Bilingual Unit had entered a new Kapa Haka group, calling themselves the Stamping Feet, who were so noisy and loud that the houses next door to the school had to call Noise patrol. The School Hall had to be refitted with special shaggy carpets like the mats in the library. However the Kiwi block then got refurbished as the disco hall and Whaea Monica became the deejay. She opened it up for everyone to join to kanikani and you didn't even need to be Maori to have a boogie. Then when some visiting students from Japan came she got the idea to incorporate karaoke as well. 

Mr Kell's new Science discovery centre was well received and he became the subject of a number of experiments as a willing guinea pig. The first experiment was to answer the question after he had a bout of covid - Does George's Marvellous Medicine really work? There was also several slime testing labs being run. Nanogirl set up test kitchen in the staffroom. 

The kererus had their share of drama when one day Whaea Darlene accidently crashed her car into the back of the Kereru block, and so THEY had a rebuild as well. Instead of classrooms, puriri trees were planted and classes were held under and up the trees. Then they could truly be called Kereru. The Tui teachers became envious and so they got into planting more flax and kowhai trees, as well as Tawianese Cherry and Loquat, until one student found out that these were noxious weeds, but it was too late as the Tuis had made their homes in them. 

Whaea Tilot wasn't that keen on what was on offer at the Yum Cha book restaurant and set up her rival Butter Chicken Book Chook restaurant on the day that Whaea Selina didn't work. This was a way to use up the leftover chicken feet that the children wouldn't eat. But she could never find a use for all the leftover carrots, until Rosemary suggested she give them to her new 12 story worm tower, behind Mr O's boys shed. The girls had a shed too, called the She shed. It was decorated in girly style like a gazebo and you could read books in there, now that the reading tents had been banned. 

It was all fun and games at Ranui School, and you'd never know the children were actually learning anything. But secretly they were, because they all had homework. They just came to school to play.