Above the Clouds: Ravenclaw Report
"All Birds find shelter during a rain, but Eagle avoids rain by flying above the Clouds. Problems are common, but attitude makes the difference!"
— APJ Abdul Kalam
Hindsight is 20/20, they say. Well, this year of Twenty-Twenty has certainly brought in its fair share of new perspectives! Whether desirable or not, many of us have been pushed into new territories and situations that we otherwise might not have chosen or even imagined. For better or worse, we are all being asked to rise up and soar to the occasion. Perhaps, with a little curiosity and interest, we will continue to find some silver linings to the challenges we face and see what this grand adventure of life has in store. In the meantime, we have each other here at HOL!
When one door closes, another opens. With everything that ends, there are new beginnings. Where I live, we are flipping back and forth these last couple weeks between some fairly warm days reminiscent of summer as well as some brisk autumnal days (and, particularly, nights) while the leaves turn to reddish, burnt orange, golden yellow, and purple shades before falling to the ground. Winter will be here before we know it, but prior to the snow hitting this area (which frequently lasts about half the year!), we get to enjoy the magic of this transitional season. My favorite part of the annual wheel. Everything from the temperature and the way the air smells, to the tasty flavors and holidays that come up around this time such as Halloween, Día de los Muertos, and Thanksgiving. I just can't help but love all the things that offer me a little extra quality time with friends and family. Making lasting memories with a variety of new and familiar faces alike. Especially when it's rounded off with some scrumptrulescent FOOD!!
Over in Ravenclaw, things are transitioning along quite nicely as the school year here at HOL has been getting started. Earlier this summer, we were enthused to welcome to the team our newest Prefects, Mia Fountain and Torii Taylor, who have been diving-in with gusto and making us all beyond proud with their enthusiasm and attention to bringing their best in everything that they do. They've been setting a great example for our fresh-off-the-nest-presses Reserve Prefects Amy Smith and Charlie Spencer! These two exceptional ladies have already successfully run the "Solving September" activity at The Roost during their PiT (Prefect in Training) days, leading into Prof. Rorey Padfoot's "Just A Little Hocus Pocus," which picked up at the beginning of October.
Immediately on the horizon, if you're an Eagle you should be keeping your eyes open for participating with the Blue Bronze Olympics at the Roost Forums, which I've heard from Head Prefect Kendra Givens that there will be "A Number of Things" to look forward to as we enjoy some friendly In-House Competition. Then as we continue to move into the upcoming months and HOLiday spirit, there will be some fun activities for ALL on the Main Forums!
Working closely with other houses to put some special events together, one grouping includes our recently appointed Head Student Maxim Trevelyan, followed by an activity Head Student Gail Allen and Prefect Alexander Brighton are members in organizing, and another which has Mia Fountain and myself, Prof. Sindor Aloyarc as part of the mix! No spoilers at this time, but trust and believe there's gonna be lots of fun to be had ahead. Even more than listed here!
We're absolutely gleeful with the amazing bunch working together in our house this term. The current roster of classes being taught or assisted over the fall semester by a member of Ravenclaw includes the following people and subjects: Head of House Prof. Kyrie Adderholt ("O.W.L.s"); Deputy Head of House Prof. Arielle Lemoyne ("Dueling 101"); Deputy Head of House Prof. Ryan Granger ("A History of Things", "Advanced Care of Magical Creatures", "Care of Magical Creatures", and "Flying"); Gail Allen ("A Visit to Diagon Alley" Assistant, "Astronomy" Assistant, "How To Role Play", "Magical Numbers", and "Survival"); Maxim Trevelyan ("A Beginner's Guide to Villainy", "Care of Magical Creatures" Assistant, "Herbology" Assistant, "Muggle Studies Pop Culture: The 80's" Assistant, "Occlumency", and "Superhero Studies"); Prof. Neville Prongs ("Defense Against the Dark Arts"); Prof. Rorey Padfoot ("A Visit to Diagon Alley", "Astronomy", "History of Hogwarts Professors", "Muggle Studies Pop Culture: The 80's", and "Mysteries of The Lake"; Prof. Sindor Aloyarc ("Muggle Studies: Hidden Powers"; Alexander Brighton ("Apparition for Beginners", "Defense Against the Dark Arts" Assistant, "Quidditch - The Wizarding Way", and "The Battle of Hogwarts"); Kendra Givens ("Divination", "Philosophy in Harry Potter", and "The Magic of Forensic Science"); Mia Fountain ("History of Hogwarts Professors" Assistant, "Magical Maladies", "Muggle Studies for Beginners", "O.W.L.s" Assistant, and the "HOL 101" Assistant); Torii Taylor ("Ancient Alchemy" and "Dragons 101"); Seventh Year Elena Galatas ("Societies in Ruin"); and Second Year Astor Arensin ("Charms" Assistant).
In the realm of Memories, we have a particularly sweet share from Prof. Rorey Padfoot who says that "About 6-7 years ago, there was a wonderful Slytherin named Ariel Kingston, who is now a Post Grad and we used to talk all the time on HOL. She had showed me some stuffed owls she was making for fun and she was making them in Hogwarts house colors. She asked me if she could make one in my then house colors, Hufflepuff, and then she mailed it to me. I still display the owl on my desk and enjoy it. It's something so simple, but it's just a fun thing that I have collected throughout my years at HOL."
On the topic of Beginnings, our newest Prefects commented:
"Teaching classes is a new experience for me. I honestly have not expected that many students to sign up for the classes I teach but as the term passes, I'm getting more and more sign up requests. Which in that case, as everyone says, the more the merrier! As for the future, I am definitely going to continue teaching because it gives me a chance to interact not only with fellow Raves, but with amazing people from other houses as well." — Torii Taylor
"I have now been here for a little over a year, and I'm certainly more comfortable and active than I was this time last year. This marks my first term as a student teacher as well as a class assistant, and I think it's going well so far." — Mia Fountain
I myself am in a similar situation, as I'm not only back teaching at HOL for the first time since 2005, it's also my very first year here as a Professor of the house where I grew up. I couldn't be more pleased to be working alongside some of the most amazing people I could have hoped to be aligned with, both within Ravenclaw and throughout the entire virtual castle. How perfectly poetic it feels for me to be making my resurgence now after a twelve year hiatus, and I have all of you to thank for the time, energy, and commitment you put into showing up for us all one day at a time.