Jellicoe Road Tradition Quotes

How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)

Quote #1

The territory wars have been a part of the Jellicoe School's life ever since I can remember. I don't know who started them […] All I know is that they began sixteen years ago because that's what the Little Purple Book says. In it the founders wrote down the rules, the maps, the boundaries. (3.1)

Forget about Spirit Week, the prom, and bizarre initiations for sports teams—the Jellicoe School has a war. All other school traditions can just take a backseat right now.

Quote #2

Every student knows that the leader has been chosen in year seven and is groomed for the next five years. But every year we have elections and pretend that the House leaders and School leader have been elected by the people for the people. (3.5)

The political intricacies of the territory wars are fascinating. Apparently, part of the tradition includes sham elections and shady politics. Kind of like real wars.

Quote #3

But it's the trunk that fascinates me the most. There are carvings and symbols and messages and history […] The messages are everything rolled into one. Wise and uncool. Profound and repugnant. (9.26-27)

The original five may have just been trying to express themselves when they carved the first markings on the Prayer Tree, but in doing so, they started a Jellicoe tradition. In the last two decades, kids have taken to declaring their love for each other, writing song lyrics, and expressing their prejudices on the trunk of the tree in the clearing.