Nevermore Academy

"Nevermore is a safe haven for our students to learn and grow no matter who or what they are. For over 200 years we have welcomed Outcasts of all kinds -- werewolves, vampires, sirens and gorgons. As Principal it is my honour to announce that Nevermore is now accepting applications from everybody. I extend my personal invitation to each and every one of you to apply to our very unique school."
- Larissa Weems on Nevermore's official website

Nevermore Academy, often shortened to Nevermore, is an American academy for outcasts located in the state of Vermont, not far from the town of Jericho. It accepted all kinds of outcasts until 30 years ago, before the events of Wednesday, the date on which the Hydes were banned from the academy because they were far too dangerous and unpredictable (ironically, it was a Hyde who killed Nathaniel Faulkner, the founder of Nevermore, before he could determine if they were killers aware of their actions when they transformed or simply dangerous monsters unaware of what they were doing).

Nevermore is the main location of the Netflix series Wednesday.^[3]

History[]

Founded in 1791 on the lands of Joseph Crackstone after he was killed by Goody Addams, Nevermore Academy is an academic institution that nurtures outcasts, freaks, and monsters. It aims to unlock the full potential of their students' extraordinary abilities through world-class teaching and unique extracurriculars.

In 1990, Garrett Gates entered Nevermore Academy during the Rave'N and attacked Gomez Addams before being stabbed by Morticia Frump. Garrett's body fell onto the quad in front of Larissa Weems, Morticia's roommate and the future headmistress of Nevermore. She screamed out when she saw the body fall to her feet. Morticia realized what she had done after hearing Larissa scream. Gomez took the weapon to make himself look like the killer and not Morticia. The crime was covered up by Noble Walker, the future mayor of Jericho, who was the local sheriff at the time. It was not until their 16-year-old daughter, Wednesday, dug up Garrett's grave that it was discovered that nightshade had poisoned him and he was already dying.

At some point in the early 1990s, Hydes were banned from attending Nevermore after it was considered that they were too dangerous and unpredictable.

Around 1997, Rowan's mother drew a picture after having a vision in which Wednesday was supposed to destroy Nevermore while fighting Joseph Crackstone. Years later, before she died, she told Rowan to stop and kill Wednesday to save the school.

In 2022, Nevermore mainly hosts werewolves, vampires, sirens, and gorgons, but also shapeshifters, psychics, and those who have no faces. It also employs a normie, Marilyn Thornhill, as a Botanical Sciences teacher and former students, like Larissa Weems, as the principal. There are four halls, including Ophelia Hall. The current principal and botanical teacher, as well as the dorm mom of Ophelia Hall, are unknown.

Wednesday would attend Nevermore midterm after having been expelled from her previous school. During her time at the academy, Wednesday would uncover a mystery involving a monster and murders.

Staff and Teachers[]

Staff[]

Larissa Weems † (principal; formerly)
Marilyn Thornhill (Ophelia Hall dorm mom; formerly)

Teachers[]

Marilyn Thornhill (botanical sciences teacher; formerly)
Coach Vlad (fencing coach)
Mr. Fitts (teacher)

Students[]

Current[]

Former[]

Carl McCoy (Class of 1991) ^[4]
Edgar Allan Poe †
Eugene Rogers (Class of 1991) ^[4]
Francoise Galpin † (Around 1990; Hyde)^[5]
Gomez Addams (Class of 1991)^[4]
Henry Morrison (Class of 1991)^[4]
Ignatius Itt †
Kathryn Parks (Class of 1991)^[4]
Kayla Nobyen (Class of 1991)^[4]
Larissa Weems † (Class of 1991; Shapeshifter)^[4]
Micah Banks (Class of 1991)^[4]
Morticia Addams (Class of 1991; Psychic)^[4]
Noah Darais (Class of 1991)^[4]
Rowan Laslow † (Psychic)
Mrs. Laslow † (Around 1997; Psychic)
Samuel Holt (Class of 1991; Werewolf)^[4]

Uniform[]

Nevermore Academy Students (2022) 001 — Student uniforms

The school uniform's signature piece is a vivid indigo-striped blazer that may appear bluer or violeter depending on lighting. The purple and yellow Nevermore crest is featured on the left chest pocket of each blazer. Underneath, students wear a muted purple or gray sweater vest over a white dress shirt and a black or indigo tie. Female students wear striped pleated skirts that reach the knees, and male students wear black pants. Stockings and knee-high socks are optional for female students, most commonly seen in black.

Students are permitted to wear hoodies underneath their blazers, and gorgons wear beanies to cover their snakes. Both articles match the same shade of indigo as the standard blazer.^[6] Sirens wear a necklace that cancels their siren voice, preventing the manipulation of others.

Due to her "allergy" to colored clothing, Wednesday Addams received a custom colorless, black, white, and grey uniform that included the school's badge.

Classes[]

The academy has many classes to train its students. These classes also included specialty subjects that related to outcasts and not normies.

Botanical sciences[]

"While most plants reward their pollinators with sweet nectar, many carnivorous varieties turn to sexual trickery or deception. The orchid produces a pheromone that mimics a female insect, luring the males in. Now, once the plant is pollinated, what do the male insect get in exchange?"
-Ms. Thornhill teaching about carnivorous plants and orchids to her students.^[src]

Botanical Sciences is taught in Nevermore's Conservatory. It was taught by Marilyn Thornhill. There are about 20 students in the class.

The following students have been seen attending this class:

Werewolf reproduction[]

It is shown in the official website that werewolf reproduction is taught at Nevermore.^[1]

Gorgon anatomy[]

It is shown in the official website that gorgon anatomy is taught at Nevermore.^[1]

Fencing[]

Fencing is taught by Coach Vlad.

The following students have been seen attending this class:

Activities & Events[]

Parent's Day/Parents' Weekend[]

A weekend in which all students meet their parents to enhance their relationship. They share picnics and lunches. It is not unusual to see some students who are usually not visited by their parents, such as Xavier Thorpe or Bianca Barclay.

Outreach Day[]

A day in which Jericho's citizens interact with students of Nevermore, who participate in preselected activities. It occurs annually on Jericho's anniversary to honor its founder, Joseph Crackstone, and form bonds between outcasts and "normies."

Edgar Allan Poe Cup[]

A race in which students canoe to Raven Island, where they grab flags that they must bring back to the finish line. In Chapter II, Wednesday and her roommate Enid Sinclair compete against Xavier Thorpe, Bianca Barclay, Kent, and Divina. It has been running since 1897.^[7]

Rave'N[]

The Rave'N is the Nevermore ball; it is not compulsory. The ball is organized around a specific theme (in 2022, by Marilyn Thornhill, professor of botanical sciences and mom of Ophelia Hall). A DJ is present in front of a large ice statue. Students can invite each other to dance and apparently invite normies as partners; for example, Enid Sinclair goes to the ball with Lucas Walker.

Solstice Talent Show[]

Morticia and Larissa did a duet together during their time at Nevermore.

Clubs/Sports[]

Like any other school, Nevermore has a vast number of clubs for students. There are currently five known clubs.

Séance Society[]

There was a séance society that Morticia Addams was the president of during her tenure at Nevermore Academy.

Pitch Slaps Club[]

A choir club with mainly sirens, with Bianca Barclay likely being its president. When Wednesday auditioned for it, she produced a note only audible to dogs, cracking the piano player's glasses and Larissa Weems' glass display dome.

Archery Club[]

Xavier Thorpe appears to be its only member, but the others may not have been present. Wednesday hit a bullseye while shooting an apple in mid-air. The archery scene is more focused on the conversation between the two students, and it is apparent that the archery club has room to grow.

Nevermore Hummers[]

A beekeeping club with only two members: its president, Eugene Ottinger, and Wednesday Addams. They observe and take care of bees and cultivate honey. Enid once temporarily filled in for Wednesday when she was busy.

Drama Club[]

Bianca briefly mentions the drama club in "Chapter II: Woe Is the Loneliest Number".

Locations[]

Conservatory[]

A large greenhouse contains a classroom where students learn about carnivorous plants. Marilyn Thornhill teaches and maintains the plants. She is Ophelia Hall's dorm mom, so she gives each student a flower from the greenhouse that reflects their personality.

Quad[]

The Quad is a large outdoor area surrounded by walls and walkways. In its center is a fountain with a large dead tree. At its edge is a statue of Edgar Allan Poe.

Commissary[]

The commissary can be accessed from the quad. A commissary is a cafeteria. It is open from 6AM through 4PM.

Nightshades Library[]

Accessed by snapping your fingers twice in front of the Edgar Allan Poe statue, the hidden library is a large collection of books about various outcast types and creatures, as well as the Nightshade Society's base.

Principal's office[]

This office is where Larissa Weems runs the school and has meetings with parents and students. It contains a fireplace that often burns at night, a desk with all the things Larissa owns, and her laptop (a MacBook from Apple). There are a lot of lamps, and the office is elegantly decorated with several chandeliers and armchairs. Larissa is seated in a large leather armchair with wheels.

This office is connected to the principal's personal quarters via a door at the side of the office, across from the fireplace.

Dormitories[]

Nevermore contains four halls of dormitories. There are two halls for boys and girls. Each hall has a "dorm mom" or a "dorm dad" in charge of watching over all students. There are some house rules that must be strictly followed: lights off at 10:00 pm, no loud music, and it's forbidden to have boys or girls in each hall; however, as seen in Chapter II and Chapter VIII, students tend to not follow that rule, as Bianca went to Xavier and Rowan's room and Ajax went to Enid and Wednesday's room.

Ophelia Hall: An all-girls hall containing werewolves, vampires, and psychics, where Wednesday Addams and Enid Sinclair live. Its Poe Cup team is called the "Black Cats." Larissa Weems and Morticia Addams lived there and were roommates when they were at school.
Unknown name: An all-girls hall in which several sirens lived. Its Poe Cup team is called "The Gold Bugs."
Unknown name: An all-boys hall containing psychics and gorgons, where Xavier Thorpe and Ajax Petropolus live. Its Poe Cup team is called "The Cask of Amontillado."
Unknown name: An all-boys hall. Its Poe Cup team is called "The Pit and the Pendulum."

Raven Island[]

Contains Crackstone's Crypt, which houses the tomb of Joseph Crackstone. Students have been known to sneak away here after hours.

Lupen Cages[]

Where Werewolf students are locked into while they wolf-out during certain moons, likely for safety reasons.^[8]

Xavier's Art Studio[]

A small building on the grounds of Nevermore, it was presumably an old shed prior to Xavier Thorpe gaining permission to clean it out and use it as his own personal art studio.^[9]

Hummers Workshop[]

This small building was used by the Hummers for storing equipment, beekeeping suits, and hibernating bees. All of the beehives for honey production are kept outside of the workshop. Eugene Ottinger, the Hummers' founder and president, and Wednesday Addams are the only members. Wednesday, while Eugene was in the hospital, managed the workshop and bees on her own. During this period, Uncle Fester used the Hummers workshop to hide from the police.

Bradbury Tower[]

Bradbury Tower is an abandoned wing of Nevermore, allegedly built to sequester Nevermore students who were Hydes.^[10]

Quotes[]

"Joseph Crackstone was a visionary, dedicated to protecting normies from outcasts until his life was cut short by your ancestor, Goody Addams. And then, to add insult to injury, they stole his land to build that abomination of a school."
-Marilyn Thornhill

"Nevermore is like no other boarding school. It's a magical place. It's where I met your mother."
-Gomez Addams

Trivia[]

According to Enid, the most popular tribes of outcasts at the academy are the vampires, sirens, werewolves, and gorgons.
Ophelia Hall is named after a character in Shakespeare's Hamlet.
Although Nevermore was made for outcasts, they also allow (or at least allowed) normies, with Marilyn Thornhill being the first member of the faculty to be a normie.
Academy's name seems to be a clear reference to and nod to Edgar Allan Poe's narrative poem "The Raven", in which the bird, the Raven, shrieks only one word: "Nevermore!".
- However, it is also stated to have been founded in 1791, 18 years before Poe's birth in 1809, 32 years before Poe would have started attending, assuming the school follows standard US high school age requirements, and 54 years before Poe wrote The Raven in 1845. This means either that the name of the school and its most famous alumnus are unconnected or that it was renamed in his honor at some point after 1845.
  - If the latter is true, the school's original name is unknown.
  - Alternatively, Poe's attendance at the academy inspired his choice to use 'nevermore' in The Raven.
According to Wednesday, Nevermore is reputed to have the best collection of outcast books.
In the original script, Nevermore was founded in 1825.^[11]
Exterior scenes were filmed at Cantacuzino Castle in Busteni, Romania. CGI was used to alter the building's appearance. The building is a museum and is open to the public.
While Nevermore is a boarding school, it gives their students passes to Jericho so they can spend some time in town; however, as stated by Marilyn Thornhill, these passes are a privilege and not a right, although it's unknown how they can get a pass.
According to Xavier and Mayor Walker, Nevermore is currently Jericho's primary donor, doing several donations so they can build parks and roads, even paying the sheriff's salary.