From Tuesday through Thursday of February school vacation, about 40 muggles – non-wizards, that is – gathered at George E. Jack School for a celebration of everything Harry Potter.
For anyone who might have been in a trance-like sleep these past 10 years, Harry Potter is the main character of a wildly popular series of books by J.K. Rowling.
Kindergartners through eighth graders attended the three-day program to immerse themselves in study at the Standish Recreation Department’s version of the Hogwarts School of Magic and Wizardry. The children were sorted into four houses (all this is Harry Potter jargon, of course): Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff and Slytherin and the members of each house collaborated to design a flag.
As wizards-in-training, these muggles took classes in potions, magical creatures, herbology and astronomy. On Wednesday, they enjoyed the Tri-Wizard Tournament, displaying their skills at Quidditch, Harry Potter Trivia and a Marauder’s Map Hunt.
For a casual observer, unfamiliar with the Harry Potter world, many of the trivia questions and answers sounded more like the study of a foreign language. But the strange words and phrases simply tumbled off the tongues of these amazing muggles.
An awards ceremony on Thursday concluded the “school” activities, followed by a showing of the movie, “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.” And on Thursday afternoon, this group of Hogwarts School graduates took a break from the world of wizards to enjoy a field trip to Happy Wheels for roller-skating.
Standish Recreation employee Echo Downs led the Harry Potter immersion program, assisted by local high school students. And if the eager look on the children’s faces was any indication, this wizardry course was a big success.
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