The Classroom is Re-imagined at Camp Hogwarts
As I stepped foot onto the Oldenburg Academy campus, bright and early on Tuesday morning, I was transported into another world. Crossing through the foggy gateway of the auditorium led me past platform 9 and 3/4’s, and into the Hogwarts Great Hall for the first day of Camp Hogwarts, hosted by Genesis: Pathways to Success. There was no Dobby, no Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, not a single boggart, nor house ghost to greet me, and yet the atmosphere made me feel as though I was a part of the world of Harry Potter. If this is how I felt, you can imagine the impact this camp had on its attendees. Each student was filled with anticipation, waiting to be sorted into their house. For me, this camp was a chance to host a fun summertime event, but for them…for them, it was everything.
The camp was held on three separate days, beginning with each attendee being sorted into a ‘house’, or group, the members of whom they would learn with and compete alongside throughout the week. This organization allowed for each group to build camaraderie while emphasizing the development of teamwork, sportsmanship, and collaboration through friendly competition with other houses. Competitions took many forms, from traditional sports and athletic activities like quidditch - which combines elements of ultimate frisbee, soccer, and lacrosse - to team oriented obstacle challenges like the tri-wizard relay race which combined elements of puzzle-solving, physical trials, and strategic planning. Houses also competed for the coveted ‘House Cup’, a morale based prize that was awarded at the end of the camp to the group who had accumulated the most points (awarded for teamwork, kindness, sportsmanship, and success in challenges) throughout the week. Ultimately, Slytherin House were the victors of the week-long quidditch tournament, and Ravenclaw House hoisted the House Cup.
Collaboration took place not only on athletic fields or during challenges, but also held a key role in the classroom setting devised for Camp Hogwarts. This aspect was highlighted repeatedly by Katie McCord, a camp volunteer and teacher at Milan High School who noted, “with this setup, I think kids are able to work a lot on collaborative learning, and they are able to develop a lot of communication skills through group games.” She continued when asked about the curriculum of the camp, in saying, “the style helps them get interested in learning. Especially with herbology, where they learn some science.”
Crucially, Camp Hogwarts was focused just as much on essential classroom skills in STEAM subjects as the soft skills of collaboration and healthy competitiveness. During the week, students participated in a range of classes in common academic subjects such as chemistry, biology, art, and reading that were reimagined through the motif of the world of Harry Potter. In this way, campers were able to learn about topics they would normally cover in subjects in school, like the pH Scale and photosynthesis, but in a context that visualized these concepts in new and exciting ways.
Overall, this effort to reimagine the classroom and encourage learning was successful, as echoed by student, and proud Hufflepuff, Nora Block, who said, “I’ve learned a lot about Harry Potter, and subjects like herbology taught me a lot about chemistry and biology.”
Genesis: Pathways to Success would like to thank Oldenburg Academy for being a gracious host - allowing the camp to utilize their space. We would also like to thank the volunteers from schools across southeastern Indiana. Thank you for passionately sharing your knowledge and expertise, and for encouraging education locally! Genesis looks forward to the return of Camp Hogwarts next summer.
