Aspiring witches and wizards can rejoice: a school of magic is opening its doors this summer in a three-day, overnight camp experience for youth aged 11 to 17.
The Alectoria School of Magic is based out of the Shawnigan Lake School and offer campers the chance to attend classes, go on quests, fight monsters and win the coveted “house cup.”
Camp co-ordinator Maddy Kirstein says it will be three days straight of live action role playing, more commonly known as LARPing.
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“Everyone gets to hang out and do all these quests, ranging from finding secrets in the castle to helping a wood nymph find where they last planted a tree,” she says.
Students will attend four classes per day, studying fables, magical creatures, herbology, potions, and the history of magic.
“When I was younger, I loved the world of fantasy, I loved role playing, and I wanted to be magic – so does every kid,” Kirstein said. “So the closest thing for me was pretending.”
Children who grew up in the Harry Potter era may have been saddened by the fact they never got an invitation to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry on their 11th birthday. While the school is not affiliated with author J.K. Rowling or Warner Bros., Kirstein said, all camp attendees will receive a special letter of their own.
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The camp will be run by 25 volunteers who will stay in character, including some who will pose as students to help hint at quests. Kirstein herself will be a head girl.
“It’s all planned out,” she says. “It’s taken years of planning!”
The school runs from Aug. 8 to 10 and costs $500. Through a “send a kid to camp” program, donors can financially help families who might otherwise not be able to cover the fee.
To find out more you can head to alectoriaschoolofmagic.com