From Tuesday, July 16th through Thursday, July 18th, Genesis: Pathways to Success furthered its A Summer of STREAM (Science, Technology, Reading, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics) programming last week with Camp Hogwarts. Held at Oldenburg Academy, 59 students from across Southeastern Indiana continued their traditional education and sharpened soft skills by immersing themselves in the realm of Harry Potter.
Camp commenced with new and returning wizards assembling in the auditorium to participate in the Sorting Hat Ceremony! Newly enrolled students wore the Sorting Hat and were sorted into one of four houses: Gryffindor, Slytherin, Ravenclaw, and Hufflepuff. Following this, students entered their house chambers where they decorated and designed them to create the room that reflected a Harry Potter setting the best. Using everything from construction paper, streamers, and house flags, the students were encouraged to work together to come up with the best layout and design that would reflect the spirit of their house and their imagination. Their inauguration into Camp Hogwarts concluded with the Sorcerer’s Stone Relay Race! Each house split up into five groups to complete the five tasks of the race: playing the recorder to put Fluffy the three-headed dog to sleep, sorting through a maelstrom of keys to determine which would open their padlock, assembling a giant chess board, assorting liquids based on viscosity, and using mirrors to solve a riddle written backwards.
Day two for the wizards-in-training was action-packed with classes. They attended four classes throughout the day: History of Magic, Potions, Charms, and Astronomy. In Charms class, students explored how to perform spells and the subject of chemistry, observing physical changes and endothermic reactions. Students mixed baking soda and vinegar in a plastic bag and watched as the release of gas caused the bag to pop open. Next, they watched as their mixture of vitamin c, iodine, and hydrogen peroxide magically changed from orange to dark blue in an instant. Similarly, in Potions class, the students made their very own calming potion, a mixture of baby oil and water, as well as a cleaning potion, slime. Through these experiments, students were further introduced to physical changes and the principles of polarity. In Astronomy class, the wizards entered into a portable planetarium, where they observed different constellations and used push pins to poke holes in the tent in the shape of a constellation of their choice. Then, they formed their own constellations with toothpicks and marshmallows. Finally, in History of Magic, students solved vexing puzzles. The wizarding initiates played Harry Potter themed Guess Who and completed Harry Potter crosswords.
The wizards returned for their third and final day of Camp Hogwarts where they were rewarded with a trip to Honeydukes, the famous Harry Potter sweet shop! Prior to their Honeydukes visit, students stopped by Gringotts Bank where they were able to withdraw coins to “pay” for their treats. Following this, all of the houses headed to the Quidditch court for the championship game between Slytherin and Gryffindor, with Slytherin bringing home the Quidditch Cup. Next, the students headed back to the Great Hall to flex their Harry Potter knowledge through trivia. Lastly, camp concluded with the reading of the House Point totals, with Ravenclaw coming away with the House Cup.
In addition to STEM lessons, students furthered crucial soft skills. A major activity that built upon them was Quidditch. In Quidditch, students practiced teamwork and communication as they passed a frisbee among one another, so as to move it down the court and take a shot on the goal. The student who controlled the frisbee could not move, thus making it crucial for them to communicate and work with their team to form a cohesive offensive plan. In addition to scoring with the frisbee, teams could score by catching the Golden Snitch! The pesky Snitch, a lacrosse ball, was thrown back and forth and chased by the Seekers. Due to this alternative scoring method, each team was required to place trust in their seekers to capture the Snitch while also incorporating them into their gameplan.
Genesis: Pathways to Success would like to thank Oldenburg Academy for being gracious hosts and helping us bring Camp Hogwarts to life. We would like to give a special thanks to Honda, McDonalds, and Duke Energy for sponsoring Camp Hogwarts. We would also like to thank our volunteers from South Ripley High School and Milan High School. Thank you for your unwavering commitment to finding unique pathways to educate our youth! Genesis looks forward to hosting Camp Hogwarts again in the summer of 2025.
If you would like to learn additional information about this summer camp, please visit www.genesisp2s.org. If you have questions regarding A Summer of STREAM, please contact the Genesis: Pathways to Success Office by emailing [email protected], calling 812-933-1098, or visiting 13 E. George Street, Suite B, Batesville, IN 47006.
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Genesis: Pathways to Success is an initiative of the Ripley County Community Foundation that serves as a perpetual resource to support, expand, and enhance educational and economic opportunities for local communities. Genesis expands and enhances educational and economic opportunities that result in thriving communities. We do this by empowering entrepreneurship, innovation, and building upon the entrepreneurial spirit that drives economic growth. Furthermore, Genesis is focused on developing critical workforce skills for students in Ripley County through innovative and creative STREAM (Science, Technology, Reading, Engineering, Art, & Mathematics) activities that encourage students to apply curious minds and critical-thinking skills to real-world opportunities. Genesis is a guide to new beginnings, a nudge in the right direction, and an acceleration toward one’s goals. For additional information, please visit www.genesisp2s.org.
