Junior High School students had the opportunity to experience a little bit of Harry Potter’s Hogwarts school right here at Clyde-Savannah. As part of Mr. Poerio’s English class, the literacy event allowed students and families to make their own wands. With assistance from shop teacher Mr. Drahms and art teacher Ms. Giangrasso, the wands were carved from wood and later painted with unique designs.
The cross-curricular evening was for eligible students who read Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone in Mr. Poerio’s class. Poerio says the idea for the event came to him while designing the course as a fun way to tie several subjects together.
“I want students to get immersed into different career opportunities,” said Poerio. “Even if it’s just making wands for an hour, now that students know about it, they may feel more confident in taking a shop class. It’s building confidence in what their career might be.”
After the students and their families finished making their wands, they were invited to watch the Harry Pot- ter and the Sorcerer’s Stone movie in the auditorium.
“I was very happy with the event. What I really liked was seeing the parents work with the kids on a project. I think it made it feel like we were an extended family,” said Poerio. “We spent an evening together. We are a small community, but a big family.”
Poerio says he looks forward to doing the event again next year. He is also planning several upcoming initiatives which will allow collaboration with other teachers.
One of those events will happen this spring. Students from C-S will be hosting a charity 5K to support local causes and give back to those in need. This is an incredible opportunity for students to learn organization tactics, leadership, teamwork, and effective communication by stepping into bigger event management roles while also having fun. Everything from safety and wellness to social media posts will be handled by passionate high school students who want to make a difference.
All proceeds from the event will go to the charity that is selected by the community. The 5K staff has chosen four organizations that we think would be good recip- ients for the funds and would like input from you on what the final choice should be.