A new club named Dumbledore’s Army made its debut at Kent in September 2017. Borrowing its name from a student organization that appears in the popular Harry Potter novels, Dumbledore’s Army is purportedly aimed at transforming Kent into a more magical community. Behind this effort are founders Eleanor Rose ‘18 and Gia Orsino ‘19. Eleanor and Gia, dedicated Harry Potter aficionados, decided to share their interests with other Kent students.

According to Eleanor, the club has a rather humble ambition: “We don’t intend to change the entire world,” but want to make Kent into a place that resembles the wizardry school, Hogwarts. “We wish our activities help students relish their lives here at Kent and explore the magical aspects of it.” The founders hope that through this club members will be able to take a break from their busy lives and form memories that they will cherish for years to come.  

On September 24th, the members of Dumbledore’s Army will participate in a sorting hat ceremony in the chapel, just as the fledgling witches and wizards in Hogwarts do on their first day of the school. Student will be sorted based on their answers on surveys like “Where can you be found, doing what? (A) performing in Mattison.” Sophie Murphy ‘18 is the head of Ravenclaw, Rose, the head of Slytherin, Lieser ‘19 of Gryffindor, and Gia Orsino ‘19 of Hufflepuff.

After the students are assigned to their houses of destiny, the houses will face off against each other in muggle-Quidditch matches. The four houses will compete throughout the academic year, culminating in the lead house winning a prize at the end of the year. Not all activities, however, involve fierce competition. Together, the members will cook jellybeans with the most unrealistic flavors, breathe life into frog chocolates almost ready to jump out of their hands, and bootleg alcohol-free Butterbeer. The organization plans to sell these spellbound merchandises in school to fundraise for charity. Anyone, with or without gift in magic, is welcome to join the club.