Storybrooke Schools are Storybrooke locations featured on ABC's Once Upon a Time. They first appear in the first episode of the first season.
The Storybrooke Schools consist of the Storybrooke Elementary School;[4] the Storybrooke Secondary School,[nb 1], also known as the Storybrooke High;[3] and the Storybrooke College, also known as SBC.[5]
History
Casting a curse to trap everyone with no memories of their past lives, Regina spends relishing in her work. The former Snow White, Mary Margaret, is now a school teacher. On the first day of the curse, she conducts a lesson, teaching her students how to build a birdhouse, before dismissing them. Regina visits, and with an air of smugness, she leads Mary Margaret to the hospital, where the teacher's past true love, David, lies in an eternal coma. ("Welcome to Storybrooke")
As Henry grows up, he begins attending the elementary school in Storybrooke. One day, he is given an assignment by his teacher, Ms. Blanchard, to complete a family tree. When he doesn't turn in his homework, she approaches him during lunchroom to ask if everything is all right. Henry, feeling out of place in town, vents frustration about not belonging as well as not being loved by either his adoptive mother Regina or the woman who gave him up for adoption. To lift his spirits, Mary Margaret gives him a fairytale book as proof he can have a happy ending like in the stories. As his teacher departs, he flips through the book to a page with a prince and princess cradling a baby girl. When Henry calls after Mary Margaret, she stops walking and turns around, to which he sees a hallucination of her as the princess in the book. A moment later, the illusion disappears as he shakes out of his stupor. Looking back down to the book page, Henry mysteriously realizes the baby girl's name is Emma. ("Going Home")
Convinced by the storybook that Regina is actually an Evil Queen who cast a curse on the townspeople, Henry resolves to bring the savior, Emma, to Storybrooke so she can save everyone. Although he believes the time freeze affecting town will reverse with Emma's arrival, he finds nothing has changed by the next day. In his disappointment, he disappears to his playground as a worried Regina reluctantly allows Emma to help search for him. Mary Margaret, having just dismissed her class, is confronted by Regina about Henry using her credit card to track down Emma. The school teacher checks her wallet, discovering the boy did take her card without permission, as a frustrated Regina knocks over some books on her way out. As Emma helps clean up, Mary Margaret reveals Henry might be at the playground. ("Pilot")
Distrustful of Regina's capabilities as Henry's mother, Emma decides to stay in town for a week to ensure the boy's well-being. At the diner, Henry asks her to accompany him on his walk to school, where he shows her the torn-out storybook pages proving she is the child of Snow White and Prince Charming, though she is skeptical. Once they reach school grounds, Henry runs off to class. Mary Margaret approaches, pleased that Emma is staying in Storybrooke for Henry's sake, and they talk about the boy's fascination with fairy tales. Learning that Henry believes Mary Margaret is in the book as well, Emma inquiries who he thinks she might be. The schoolteacher names Snow White, which shocks Emma since the boy previously insisted Snow White is her mother. Mary Margaret wonders who Henry thinks Emma is, but the blonde murmurs that she is not in the book. ("The Thing You Love Most")Known Students
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Trivia
On-Screen Notes
- The administration of the school e-mails students their class schedule.[16] ("Pilot")
- When he was cursed, David had (false) memories of reading Alice's Adventures in Wonderland in school. ("We Are Both")
- The school is open on weekends, including Sundays. This is supported by the classroom scene in "Pilot" taking place on the day after Emma's birthday (October 22nd), with October 23rd 2011 being a Sunday. Since the original script specified it as a Catholic school, with Mary Margaret written as a nun, this suggests she was teaching Sunday school classes.
- As evidenced by her phone records in "Dreamy," Kathryn vanished on a Sunday, February 19th 2012, after confronting Mary Margaret in the school's hall the day before. The next afternoon, Emma gives his storybook back to Henry.
Novel Notes
- The name of the principal of the Storybrooke High is Principal Hoffman.[17] ("Henry and Violet")
Production Notes
- The scene with Mary Margaret teaching in the school was the first ever to be filmed for the show.[18] ("Pilot")
Disney
- There are giant sea shells in Mary Margaret's classroom,[19] which is a reference to The Little Mermaid.[20] ("The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter")
Popular Culture
- Funk & Wagnalls Wildlife Encyclopedia 6[21] is sitting on a shelf in Mary Margaret's classroom, next to other volumes of the book series.[22] ("The Shepherd")
- There is an illustration of Isaac Newton on the cover of the physics book that Shirin carries.[23] ("Strange Case")
Props Notes
- When Mary Margaret is teaching, she receives not an apple from her student, but a pear.[24] This is fitting as she was poisoned by an apple. ("Pilot")
- The top header on one edition of the Storybrooke Daily Mirror says "Comet Marley Makes Debut Appearance."[25] Fittingly enough, the lesson plan on the chalkboard in Mary Margaret's classroom that day mentions comets and other astronomical objects.[26] ("The Shepherd")
- In Mary Margaret's apartment, there are framed photographs of herself with her students.[27] Emma picks up one of the photographs when she searches the dwelling. ("Heart of Darkness" et al.)
- One of Mary Margaret's physics test[28] is based on a science worksheet from the website of the charity organization Great Schools. Even the illustration is the same.[29] ("Strange Case")
- The other test includes the following text:[30]
- "Identify which of Newton's Laws is demonstrated in each of the fol[obscured] then explain why the example demonstrates that law.
1. FIRST SECOND THIRD A party entertaine[obscured] a pile of dishes and cups on a table without distu[link]
EXPLAIN"
- "Identify which of Newton's Laws is demonstrated in each of the fol[obscured] then explain why the example demonstrates that law.
- It is adapted from the Microsoft Word document "Identifying Newton's Laws" from the website Mrs. Mikula,[31] which is run by a physics teacher. The original version reads:
- "Identify which of Newton's Laws is demonstrated in each of the following examples and explain why the example demonstrates that law.
1. FIRST SECOND THIRD : A magician pulls a table cloth out from under dishes and glasses on a table without disturbing them.
a. Explain:"
- "Identify which of Newton's Laws is demonstrated in each of the following examples and explain why the example demonstrates that law.
Set Dressing
- There's a picture of Ginnifer Goodwin's sister Melissa Goodwin Shepherd (a stop-motion animator on shows like Robot Chicken) in the school. It can be spotted behind Mary Margaret as she apologizes to Emma when she first meets her in Storybrooke.[18][32] ("Pilot")
- Like many other Storybrooke locations, the school contains nods to the Enchanted Forest: One of the school classrooms has tree silhouettes and falling leaves on the windows.[33] ("The Shepherd," "The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter")
- The Flag of Maine is in one of Mary Margaret's classrooms.[34] ("The Shepherd")
- When Mary Margaret is pretending to be in a hurry to get to school in time, she says she's making a volcano with her students. The volcano is present in her classroom in "The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter."[35] ("7:15 A.M.")
- When Kathryn confronts Mary Margaret, a banner in the school hallway says, "Storybrooke School Art Fair."[36] ("What Happened to Frederick")
- During Miner's Day, the walls of the volunteer center are adorned with illustrations of stars and constellations,[37] and the blackboard is adorned with cutouts of blue stars and white stars,[38] which are nods to Astrid and Mother Superior's counterparts in the Enchanted Forest. ("Dreamy")
- An amethyst is sitting on classroom table.[39] This is fitting, as the school and the rest of Storybrooke used to be under the influence of the Dark Curse, where no one remembered who they really were – Amethysts are believed to help people who suffer from a faulty memory.[40] ("Darkness on the Edge of Town")
- The rocks Ingrid uses to steal and return people's memories in "Smash the Mirror" and "Shattered Sight" are also amethysts.
- When Mary Margaret is teaching at school after the Final Battle, the tapestry on the little stage behind her[41] is the same tapestry that was on the Carny's podium in "The Evil Queen";[42] notice the little mountain with the trees on the left hand side. ("The Final Battle Part 2")
Filming Locations
- Kerrisdale Elementary School in Vancouver doubles as the Storybrooke Elementary School for both exterior and interior scenes.[43][44]
- This location was also used in the filming of the 2003 slasher movie Freddy vs. Jason.[44]
- Mary Margaret's classroom in "Pilot" also doubles as a classroom in the 1984 fantasy film The NeverEnding Story.[45]
- One of the classrooms is a set in the old Lynn Valley Library in Vancouver, British Columbia.[46]
- The courtyard scene where Emma returns the book to Henry in "What Happened to Frederick" was filmed at the Lord Strathcona Elementary School in Vancouver.[47] The flashback scene with Henry and Mary Margaret in "Going Home" was filmed in the same location.[48]
- Lord Strathcona Elementary School also doubles as Baxter High in the series Chilling Adventures of Sabrina[49] (a show which features Once Upon a Time guest star Adrian Hough and Once Upon a Time in Wonderland guest star Sarah-Jane Redmond).
- For the episode "Welcome to Storybrooke," the scenes where Mary Margaret gives the same lesson at school, again and again, day after day, is a mixture of archive footage from "Pilot," and new footage filmed inside a studio, since the location was not available for this episode.[50]
Script Notes
- In the original "Pilot" script, the Storybrooke Elementary School is a Catholic school. Mary Margaret is both a nun and a school teacher.[51]
Appearances
Once Upon a Time: Season One | ||||||||||
"Pilot": | "The Thing You Love Most": | "Snow Falls": | "The Price of Gold": | "That Still Small Voice": | "The Shepherd": | "The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter": | "Desperate Souls": | "True North": | "7:15 A.M.": | "Fruit of the Poisonous Tree": |
Appears | Appears | Absent | Mentioned | Absent | Appears | Appears | Mentioned | Mentioned | Mentioned | Absent |
"Skin Deep": | "What Happened to Frederick": | "Dreamy": | "Red-Handed": | "Heart of Darkness": | "Hat Trick": | "The Stable Boy": | "The Return": | "The Stranger": | "An Apple Red as Blood": | "A Land Without Magic": |
Absent | Appears | Appears | Mentioned | Mentioned | Appears | Mentioned | Mentioned | Appears | Appears | Absent |
Once Upon a Time: Season Two | ||||||||||
"Broken": | "We Are Both": | "Lady of the Lake": | "The Crocodile": | "The Doctor": | "Tallahassee": | "Child of the Moon": | "Into the Deep": | "Queen of Hearts": | "The Cricket Game": | "The Outsider": |
Absent | Mentioned | Mentioned | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent |
"In the Name of the Brother": | "Tiny": | "Manhattan": | "The Queen Is Dead": | "The Miller's Daughter": | "Welcome to Storybrooke": | "Selfless, Brave and True": | "Lacey": | "The Evil Queen": | "Second Star to the Right": | "And Straight On 'Til Morning": |
Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Appears | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent |
Once Upon a Time: Season Three | ||||||||||
"The Heart of the Truest Believer": | "Lost Girl": | "Quite a Common Fairy": | "Nasty Habits": | "Good Form": | "Ariel": | "Dark Hollow": | "Think Lovely Thoughts": | "Save Henry": | "The New Neverland": | "Going Home": |
Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Appears |
"New York City Serenade": | "Witch Hunt": | "The Tower": | "Quiet Minds": | "It's Not Easy Being Green": | "The Jolly Roger": | "Bleeding Through": | "A Curious Thing": | "Kansas": | "Snow Drifts": | "There's No Place Like Home": |
Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent |
Once Upon a Time: Season Four | ||||||||||
"A Tale of Two Sisters": |
"White Out": |
"Rocky Road": |
"The Apprentice": |
"Breaking Glass": |
"Family Business": | "The Snow Queen": |
"Smash the Mirror": |
"Fall": | "Shattered Sight": |
"Heroes and Villains": |
Absent | Absent | Absent | Mentioned | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent |
"Darkness on the Edge of Town": |
"Unforgiven": | "Enter the Dragon": | "Poor Unfortunate Soul": |
"Best Laid Plans": | "Heart of Gold": | "Sympathy for the De Vil": |
"Lily": | "Mother": | "Operation Mongoose Part 1": |
"Operation Mongoose Part 2": |
Appears | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent |
Once Upon a Time: Season Six | ||||||||||
"The Savior": | "A Bitter Draught": | "The Other Shoe": | "Strange Case": | "Street Rats": | "Dark Waters": | "Heartless": | "I'll Be Your Mirror": | "Changelings": | "Wish You Were Here": | "Tougher Than the Rest": |
Absent | Absent | Absent | Appears | Absent | Absent | Absent | Mentioned | Absent | Absent | Absent |
"Murder Most Foul": | "Ill-Boding Patterns": | "Page 23": | "A Wondrous Place": | "Mother's Little Helper": | "Awake": | "Where Bluebirds Fly": | "The Black Fairy": | "The Song in Your Heart": | "The Final Battle Part 1": | "The Final Battle Part 2": |
Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Mentioned | Appears |
Once Upon a Time: Season Seven | ||||||||||
"Hyperion Heights": | "A Pirate's Life": | "The Garden of Forking Paths": | "Beauty": | "Greenbacks": | "Wake Up Call": | "Eloise Gardener": | "Pretty in Blue": | "One Little Tear": | "The Eighth Witch": | "Secret Garden": |
Mentioned | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Mentioned |
"A Taste of the Heights": | "Knightfall": | "The Girl in the Tower": | "Sisterhood": | "Breadcrumbs": | "Chosen": | "The Guardian": | "Flower Child": | "Is This Henry Mills?": | "Homecoming": | "Leaving Storybrooke": |
Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Mentioned | Absent | Absent |
Once Upon a Time: Novels | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Once Upon a Time: Specials | ||||||||||
"Magic is Coming": |
"The Price of Magic": | "Journey to Neverland": | "Wicked is Coming": | "Storybrooke Has Frozen Over": | ||||||
Archive | Archive | Archive | Archive | Absent | ||||||
"Secrets of Storybrooke": | "Dark Swan Rises": | "Evil Reigns Once More": | "The Final Battle Begins": | |||||||
Archive | Archive | Archive | Archive |
Other Appearances | ||||||||||
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Note: "Archive" denotes archive footage.
References
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Notes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 A newspaper ad in "Kansas" reads "5 minute walk to Storybrooke elementary; 10 minutes walk to Storybrooke secondary." (File:320Ads.png)