Dozens of muggles were transported to a world of witchcraft and wizardry right here on Vancouver Island last week.
As part of the inaugural Alectoria School of Magic, 48 students from around Vancouver and the Island B次元官网网址� including some from the West Shore B次元官网网址� gathered at Shawnigan Lake School to participate in a variety of Harry Potter-themed activities, as well as live action role playing, most commonly known as LARPing.
B次元官网网址淚t was amazing. I wasnB次元官网网址檛 expecting it to be as good as it was. All of the kids seemed really enraptured with it, which was the goal,B次元官网网址� said 15-year-old event organizer Maddy Kirstein. B次元官网网址淚t was fantastic to actually have the kids be so encapsulated by the whole magic feel.B次元官网网址�
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Participants, who were between the ages of 11 to 17 years old, started the three-day overnight camp by being sorted by the Sorting Hat into either the blue, yellow, green or red house, followed by a feast.
Activities were done with the help of roughly 25 volunteers who came from Quebec, Toronto and as far away as the U.K. to play the roles of professors or prefects.
From there, youth attended four classes per day, studying fables, magical creatures, herbology, divination, astronomy, and the history of magic. The classes taught them life skills as well. For example, the potions class included science and alchemy had chemistry, Kirsten added.
They also had to complete quests which included fighting monsters. In one scenario a Whomping Wollow-style character tasked youth with finding stones that were hidden around the campus.
In another, representatives from each house were tasked with finding the headmistressB次元官网网址檚 wand, which had been stolen.
In the end, it was the blue house that garnered the most amount of points to win the coveted House Cup.
While participants had the opportunity to feel like they were actually attending Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Kirstein hopes they take away much more than that.
B次元官网网址淭hey all had the same goal B次元官网网址� they werenB次元官网网址檛 judging anyone else, which was so great because some of it was weird and you had to pretend that stuff was happening. ItB次元官网网址檚 silly and can sometimes feel like youB次元官网网址檙e the only one, but all of them were doing it and supporting each other,B次元官网网址� said the 15-year-old Oak Bay resident.
B次元官网网址淥ne kid felt underappreciated and they all came up and hugged him and said what he was doing was fantastic. I really want them to take away that whoever you are, you donB次元官网网址檛 have to hide.B次元官网网址�
The camp was such a success Kirstein hopes to run it next year as well.
The school is not affiliated with author J.K. Rowling or Warner Bros. For more information visit
kendra.wong@goldstreamgazette.com
