“So teach us things worth knowing, bring back what we’ve forgot; Just do your best, we’ll do the rest, and learn until our brains all rot!” – J.K. Rowling

So states the school song of the fictional Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, featured in J.K. Rowling’s popular Harry Potter series. The quote takes on new meaning this year for the residents of Reade residence hall.

Reade Hall is divided into four sub-hallways, two for each gender. This year, the Resident Assistants of Reade have adopted a Harry Potter theme for the entire residence hall. Each smaller hallway within Reade is decorated to reflect one of the four Hogwarts Houses: Gryffindor for the upstairs girls’ hall, Ravenclaw for the upstairs boys, Hufflepuff for the downstairs boys, and Slytherin for the downstairs girls.

As an icebreaker activity to start the school year, the Reade RA’s put together a competitive event this past Sunday which they nicknamed the “Triwizard Tournament.” Though the name is not necessarily accurate, the residents of Reade undertook a series of field-day style events, competing for points toward their respective Houses. These events included a broomstick race, an orange-passing relay, and a game of Dragon Tag among other games.

“My favorite game was ‘Gorilla, Man, Gun’,” said sophomore Engineering major Sarah McGrew, “-because I won serious House Points for Slytherin!”

McGrew’s enthusiasm for her team spread like wildfire, according to fellow sophomore and Mass Media major Janie Haskins.

“It was fun competing. Slytherin House definitely had the most team spirit!” Haskins said.

Sporting green war paint and team colors, the Slytherin team certainly did stand out. However, the Gryffindor team came first in numbers. They had over twice the number of people in Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff’s teams put together, and even the sassy Slytherins were severely outnumbered.

“Our Triwizard Tournament was great for Gryffindor,” Kiana Lively, sophomore Marketing major, said. “We really came together as a team, and even came out with the most House Points!”

Though the tournament had no clear winner, the current House Point board in Reade Hall declares that Gryffindor is in the lead, followed closely by Slytherin.

Even students from outside Reade Hall were able to jump in and help out the team of their choice. Benjamin Webster, freshman Biology major, declared the event enjoyable from his place on the Ravenclaw team, despite his home at Patterson Hall.

“The program went well,” Katelyn Zimmerman, General Studies major, said. “It was fun and exciting, I just wish there had been more people there!”

A raving success, the Reade Hall Triwizard Tournament has cleared the way for more Wizarding events to be held in the future. Drop by Reade Hall for more information!