Atlas Academy


 * For the Kingdom of the same name, see Atlas. For the city. see Atlas (city).

Atlas Academy, formerly known as Alsius, is the Huntsman Academy of the Kingdom of Atlas. Unlike the other Kingdoms, the Academy as an institution is not an entity separate from the Kingdom's government.

The headmaster of Atlas Academy is General James Ironwood, who is also a military commander.

Origins


What would become Atlas was originally known as Alsius, a combat school in the Kingdom of Mantle. The territory surrounding Alsius was used as a research and development facility during the Great War.

Alsius was later reopened under the name Atlas Academy, in order to house and give guidance to warriors after the conclusion of the Great War. The campus was greatly expanded with the technologies developed during the war, helping to better secure the surrounding territories. As a result, Atlas grew quickly and attracted many to the area surrounding it, including research facilities, laboratories and the military. In time, residential areas also started flocking to Atlas.

It eventually became clear that Atlas had become a bustling city in its own right and overshadowed the main city of Mantle. The decision was thus made to move the capital from Mantle to Atlas, ushering in "a golden age of prosperity". The Kingdom as a whole was also accordingly renamed to Atlas. Today, the government of Atlas and the academy exist together as a single entity, along with the military.

In the years following, the academy has come under criticism for the imposition of military lifestyle on its students. Graduates and trainees are also pressured to enlist in the Atlesian military's Special Operatives unit, a practice which runs contrary to the academy founders' initial intentions for Huntsmen to be free from allegiance to a specific kingdom.

Present Day
By the present day, 80 years after the end of the Great War, the headmaster of Atlas Academy is General Ironwood, who is also a senior officer in the military. At some point, Winter Schnee likely attended the school, presumably joining the military's Special Operatives unit after graduating.

Students from Atlas competed in the 40th Vytal Festival combat tournament, held in Vale. Teams known to be participating include Team FNKI and Penny's Team.

Uniform
The dress code at Atlas consists of white long-sleeved shirts with gray pocket-vest jackets on top. These are accompanied by a pair of white dress gloves and a dark-gray tie. Male students wear long white trousers, while female students wear gray stockings and knee-high black boots.

Staff Members

 * General James Ironwood - Headmaster

Known Students

 * Penny Polendina† - Participated in the Vytal Festival, representing the Kingdom of Atlas, but it is not known if she was an actual student of the academy
 * Ciel Soleil - Penny's teammate, also participated in the Vytal Festival
 * Flynt Coal - A member of Team FNKI and a participant in the Vytal Festival
 * Neon Katt - A member of Team FNKI and a participant in the Vytal Festival

Former Students

 * Winter Schnee - Implied to be a graduate of Atlas Academy, and currently a member of the Atlesian military's Special Operatives unit

Trivia

 * Atlas Academy is named after the Greek Titan Atlas, who is said to have held up the pillar between the heavens and the earth as punishment for his actions in the Titanomachy. This suggests a motif of protectors and bearers of responsibility.
 * Its name is notable in that it is a less direct, non-definitional reference to protection, differing from the names of its peers, Beacon, Haven, and Shade.
 * Its name also brings to mind atlases, large books of maps, suggesting a motif of guidance and unity. This is appropriate, as Qrow Branwen states in the World of Remnant episode "Atlas" that it was originally founded to give guidance to warriors after the Great War.
 * Alsius, the original name of the Academy before and during the Great War, comes from the Latin alsius, meaning "cold" or "liable to injury from cold".
 * According to Chapter 3 of the manga, Weiss Schnee was originally supposed to attend Atlas Academy at her father's behest. However, she instead decided to attend Beacon Academy in Vale, in order to put distance between her and her controlling father. This is also hinted at in the episode "Lessons Learned".