Islesboro Central School teacher Janet Dooley’s 4th and 5th graders – Harry Potter fans all – transformed their classroom into the Hogwarts School of Muggle Wizardry, complete with colorful banners, robes for each student and courses such as Arithmancy, History of Muggles and Spelling Spells. Sorted into houses at the beginning of the school year, students earned (or lost) points throughout the year in competition for a “house cup” to be awarded at an end-of-the-year banquet. Students are currently writing their own Potter adventures, and looking forward to the grand opening of the next Potter movie.
Most of the funds needed to underwrite the cost of robes and other Potter paraphernalia had been raised the year before by the school’s drama department, with a bit of help from teacher Dooley’s personal funds. Parents of students, many of whom are Potter fans themselves, were supportive of the program, and Dooley’s classes enjoyed the school year so much that many who are leaving her classroom asked if they could stay for another year. Dooley, a teacher for 18 years, believes that “if you can keep the students enthused, it’s easier to keep them motivated and focused on learning. The Hogwarts theme has been an incredible incentive for students, and created a ‘wicked good fun’ kind of atmosphere for learning. The program was a great success.” (Bonnie L. Mowery-Oldham photo)