Harry Potter Read-a-Thon
(If you are a Muggle, I suggest you stop reading this.)
Welcome to Hogwarts at Cobb
On March 28, young witches and wizards grabbed their luggage, ran through platform nine and three-quarters and entered Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. It was a dazzling sight with floating candles and the bustling road of Diagon Alley in our own Cobb Library. There were thrilling duels, mind-bobbling trivia games, exhilarating Quidditch matches and of course... reading! So, grab your brooms and owls and let's take a peek at what happened at the Read-a-Thon (Muggles not included)...
Down Diagon Alley
Down Diagon Alley sat Weasely's Wizard Wheezes and Honey Dukes candy shop. Whenever a Hogwarts student was hungry, they traveled down to the shops to entertain themselves and eat yummy goodies. Students had many assortments of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans, chocolate frogs, Golden Snitch balls, Butter Beer (non-alcoholic, of course) and Muggle candy too. Down aways, Transfiguration class left nasty burns and scars that were also appealing to the eye. Magic and candy. Can't get much better than that!
Quidditch
Easily witches and wizards favorite sport, Quidditch brought great fun, competition and winners. Ravenclaw and Slytherin battled to the end, but in a close fight, Ravenclaw victoriously caught their golden snitch. According to spectators, Slytherin had an amazing keeper who blocked almost every shot and a spectacular seeker who was on the snitch's tail the whole time! Gryffindor and Hufflepuff also were in a close game, but Hufflepuff won by grabbing the golden snitch with a stellar snag.
Spell-Off and Trivia
The spell-off was amusing as young wizards mastered the skills and dueled with remarkable ability. In the end, Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff dueled in a close match of best two out of three. Hufflepuff pulled a praiseworthy move that won it all. Way to go!
For trivia, the Hogwarts' students played on a magical game called Kahoot! and Slytherin, those cunning folk, won it all. The houses were no match to their scheming minds, and they came on top.
Spell-Off Action Shots!
The Winning House
At the end of the night, all the House points distributed throughout the evening were counted by Professor McGonagall and Belatrix, and Ravenclaw won the House Cup! The competition was close because all the houses were so amazing in their own ways. This announcement ended the night with a huge bang!
Winning House: Ravenclaw!
Special Thanks
None of this would have happened if not for Mr. Dennis' Advanced Theater students that painted the nine-and-three-quarters entrance, brick backdrops and pylons, and served as live actors on the Wall of Fame. Thank you to Mrs. Blackwell (cough, cough Belatrix) who also made this whole night happen, and Frisco and Wakeland High School students who were our House Prefects, aided "transfigurations", and ran the Weasley's store and Honeydukes. Also special thanks to Mrs. "Butter-Beer-Queen" Stevens (Tonks) and Mrs. Nickolyn (Daily Prophet Photography) and all those who sponsored students and who let us borrow items. With your help, we raised approximately $3000 for books for the Cobb library. Again thank you!
Floating Candles
Students help tie invisible thread on the floating candles. Clear lines criss-crossed across the library creating a framework for "floating" 75 battery-operated taper candles. It was truly magical at night for reading in the dark!
Set Design
Mr. Dennis and his awesome theater classes collaborated with Mrs. Meeks on a set design unit. The students tested different techniques and then hand-painted Platform nine-and-three-quarters and the walls of Hogwarts.
Magic Wands
Library Aides and other students get creative at an "Olivander's workshop" making wands for the Read-a-Thon. Students hand-made over 80 wands weeks ahead of time for the evening festivities!
Reading for the Cause
We raised over $3,000 for four hours of reading, and all of this money will be used to purchase books for the Cobb Library! With our library now in its fourth year, many books need repairs and can now be replaced or fixed all thanks to you. We will also be able to purchase new novels, too. Thank you again!
Author
By your kind and (free) elf, Dobby.
AKA, Lauren Brinlee, Cobb Library Student Aide
Email: meeksm@friscoisd.org
Website: https://sites.google.com/a/friscoisd.org/cobb-library/
Location: 9400 Teel Parkway, Frisco, TX, United States
Phone: 469-633-4344