A Maritime middle school has been transformed into a replica of a famous school of witchcraft and wizardry.
It's Harry Potter Week at Riverview Middle School, in Riverview, N.B. All classes have incorporated the theme into the curriculum.
“Harry Potter and school just goes together really well, because it makes it really fun,” says student Jude Taylor Bourque. “I think it inspires the student to work harder because of the motivation and the fun in the week. That's all that we are asking for all of the time.”
About 150 students, teachers, staff, and parents came-together to decorate the entire school Hogwarts style. Even the lunch hours have a Potter twist - a single photo of the cafeteria’s new look has been viewed online more than 1.5 million times.
“It's the number one fiction best-selling book of all time,” says teacher Armand Doucet. “It’s an easy one that the parents know, the children know, so it’s an exciting book for us to be able to bring into all the classes.”
Those involved say the theme week has been a real success.
“I’ve noticed a change in the students, people are excited to be here, they are excited to learn, the teachers are excited,” says student Emily Green.
“I’m excited for my kid,” says parent Christine McCarthy. “This is amazing for her to be able to do this. Her older sisters are so jealous it’s crazy.”
The week will conclude with a series of competitions, a human chess game, and following that, a very special skype date.
“(They will) interact with a Harry Potter actress named Ellie Darcy-Alden, from the seventh movie, so that is pretty exciting for the class,” says Doucet.
Organizers say the real challenge lies ahead, coming up with their next theme week now that the bar has been set so high.
With files from CTV Atlantic's David Bell
