My school's original Harry Potter club (called M.A.G.I.C. for Magical and Gifted Individuals Club) predates my time at the high school. It was originally created by the students a few years before my time there, but had ceased to exist in anything but memories. I was approached to take on the role of Head of Slytherin House shortly after arriving and was immediately all-in, baby!
MAGIC was back!
If you are a Harry Potter fan, I want to encourage you to start a Harry Potter club on your campus. Honestly, it is one of the most rewarding things I do in my job. In part, because it brings kids from all walks of life together in our mutual love for Harry Potter; in part because it is JOYFUL and we all need more joy in our lives.
My friend and fellow TALL Texan, class of 2016, Jennifer De Waelsche, presented on our HP clubs at the Texas Library Conference in April this year. Back at our TALL retreat, I mentioned our HP club, and as a fellow Potterhead, she immediately wanted info on creating a club at her school. She made an AWESOME club, y'all, and I'm learning as much or more from her than she ever learned from me about it!
Because I get SO MANY QUESTIONS about running a HP club, I'm happy to share the info on getting started---but remember there is no wrong way to do this! You know your kids, your school, and your schedule. Do what works for you! It just brings me so much joy that folks want to join in the fun!
1. Get your adult sponsors in place. For the most magical year, it works best if you have an adult for each Head of House. You want "Professors" that are passionate about their House identity, but also are committed to the club, if at all possible. As the librarian, I am able to be much more flexible with my time, and I also have student library assistants who can do many things to help, so in addition to the Head of Slytherin House, I am also the de facto Dumbledore, I suppose you could say.
2. Promote your club. FISH camp, posters in the hall, announcements, etc. We have kids fill out a paper "application" that is based on an online Pottermore-ish test and I run them each through the computer. Jennifer uses a Google Form. I like this test because it gives you a number for each of the Houses---so, mine might look like this: 16 Slytherin, 14 Ravenclaw, 10 Gryffindor, and 3 Hufflepuff. This becomes important because I add a question to my form at the end so that kids can tell me if they already really identify with a a particular House, and also, if I need to manage the numbers of kids per House and a kiddo has two that are super close, we can move them to the House that needs more kids. For teens---no matter their score---if they self-identify as Hufflepuff, they are a Puff. Believe me, it all works out. The Sorting Hat makes no mistakes. ;)
Kids fill out forms and turn them in to me for a few weeks and then we host a Sorting Ceremony.
3. The Sorting.
We hold the actual Sorting in our Theater. All members are invited and encouraged to attend so they can welcome the new members in. They are seated in sections by House. The newbies may sit anywhere until they are sorted. On the stage, we have a lectern, or in a pinch, a band music stand, a stool for our new kids to sit upon, and the Sorting Hat.
I have my lists of our new members by House ready to roll. One adult sponsor announces the names for the kids to come forward, and another is the Hat Master.
After all the new members have been sorted, we move to the library, where we have set up the Feast. Kids are able to earn their first House points of the year by bringing snacks/drinks, etc. to the Sorting, and we give double points if it is HP themed. So, a bag of Cheetos is 1 point, but chocolate frogs would be 2.
4. Each Head of House will appoint/elect their Head Boy/Head Girl/Prefects for the year in whatever way works for their House. This is where you see some serious House traits come in, which always cracks me up. Typically my head kids come to me and tell me they want to be Head Boy, etc. Typically our Puffs are voted on by the group. Do whatever works for your group. We choose Upperclassmen for these positions, and it is helpful if they are also library assistants, as I can give them set time to do MAGIC work for events, etc. No matter how awesome a kid is, if they are off-campus all the time due to duel credit, or whatever----I strongly encourage you to appoint someone else. Just like with the adult leaders, you need folks who love HP, but also are in it to do the work to create a magical experience. Otherwise, your club either does nothing, or you get stuck doing everything---neither of which feels particularly magical for anyone.
5. The Activities:
We hold the Sorting, of course, and then typically we hold only a few other whole-club activities throughout the year---Yule Ball and Quidditch with the SFA Quidditch team, since Stephen F. Austin State University is in our town. Each House holds their own meetings/events, and can choose to also sponsor whole-club events. This year we held a Lock-In in the library for all Houses and it was AMAZING. SO MUCH FUN!!!
Activities vary from year-to-year, but it is important to actually get the kids together to do things. Again, not super magical if nothing happens. This is where you need a strong group of officers (all the Head Boys/Head Girls/Prefects) who will meet and plan things. In the past we have had movie nights, MAGIC Mondays (when we had MegaLunch at our campus, all of MAGIC met in the library each Monday for activities), Slytherin has held a House-wide scavenger hunt in the library which was totally designed by one of my awesome Head Boys and could be completed before school, or during lunch time, Christmas ornament making, game nights, etc. Some years we have had Homecoming Dukes/Duchesses from MAGIC, too.
6. House Points:
We gave House points for coming to events/meetings, for bringing food to said meetings, for grades each reporting time (4 points for each A, 3 for each B, 2 for each C---as you can imagine, Ravenclaw never loved giving points for C/s, so prepare to have that conversation. lol!)
Find a way to keep up with your House Points. Keep your sign-in sheets and use them to make charts or have glass jars filled with House-color marbles (one of Jennifer's brilliant ideas that I'm totally stealing!) Mostly, just keep it positive---no point deductions, etc.
7. Funds:
Typically, my club fees are $5 if you don't want a shirt, and $20 if you do. This gives us a little money to use to purchase craft supplies, etc. for our events. I am never going to allow a money issue to keep a kid from joining my House, though. I don't have it in me to turn away a kid due to money issues.
8. Miscellaneous:
- We don't do service projects or fund raising in my club, but some do. Either way is fine. We can't give an honor cord because we don't give those, but we already have so many clubs on campus that most of my kids are also involved in that are strictly service organizations, or have a huge service component. Honestly, I don't think my kids need the added stress of having to do one more thing, and I just wanted this to be joyful and fun for the sake of being joyful and fun. We all need that in our lives.
- Each House has a Remind account, and we also have a MAGIC Instagram. I have a window in my library where we post MAGICal happenings, as well.
- It's great if the kids love the movies, better if they love the books, and most awesome if they love it all. However, kids need a place to belong and if they know NOTHING about HP, but have friends in the club---they are welcome to join and will learn the MAGICal ways as they are involved. Clubs are to bring folks together and to add joy---not to be elitist and close folks out. (yes, I'm super sure I'm Slytherin. We've gotten a bad rap, folks. Most of us are awesome and inclusive.)
- Make it special. My new Slytherin each get a welcome letter printed on parchment, and sealed with a wax seal listing all the amazing reasons to be a Slytherin. I send my kids small chocolate bars to keep the dementors away during final exams, etc.
9. Links & photos:
- This is the Sorting link that I use. Remember, I use this instead of Pottermore because I want to have some control over the sorting, and because with Pottermore each kid individually must create a login.
- Here is the copy I print and have the kids fill out.
- As I'm sorting the forms I keep a running record like this. As I assign the House, I color code them. I've removed all but the first letter of my kids' names--this is just to help you see my process.
- And a Master List for the whole club each year.
Wands made at our lock-in this spring.
I hope you find this info useful. Give me a shout if you need anything or have any questions to help you get started!
Sonja
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