Haha! I guess we do need a major conflict to bring everyone together... instead of a fire alarm it could just be rival school gangs getting into a fight in the courtyard.
hahaha no i meant like you know how there is always the kids from class F or D always getting into trouble? they'd be NPCs but it'd still be big enough to draw attention from our characters.
just an idea of course. though something like the starting of the lunch hour and a common meeting place might be more effective