“We have a lot of fun, but it’s education,” she said of the class. “I hope they [the students] will enjoy tonight and that science and magic are fascinating,” she added. A Night at Hogwarts is an unmistakable hit with all ages, and every year since its 2013 inception the event has grown, this year taking over the entire school building rather than just a few hallways. “We were sold out of prepackaged galleons before the doors opened,” second grade teacher Vicki Douglas observed. She originally presented the idea of A Night at Hogwarts to the faculty and staff at Parkview Elementary after visiting her grandchildren, where their school hosted a similar event. The total pre-packaged galleons—which sell for $1 apiece—numbered around 1,500, and many more sold throughout the night—so many, in fact, that the school began to use hexagon pieces in place of galleons. The second floor became the Forbidden Forest, included many fascinating creatures, some from previous years, but also some startling new ones—including one huge Albino Burmese Python named Zep brought by Chelsey Keel and Dave Parker from Vernal. Keel and Parker were invited by Katelyn Carlson, who also brought her albino corn snake and a ball python. “We were all crammed in that little corner; it was a lot of fun to show the kids that snakes aren’t a bad thing,” Carlson said. Administrative Assistant Cheri Smith told Carlson that the school was having trouble procuring reptiles for the event, so Carlson handily solved that problem.
Mad-Eye Moody (retired teacher and current School Board member Kurt Douglas) serves up Butterbeer at The Three Broomsticks. Photo by Beth Wiley
“We like to educate people not to be scared of them (the snakes),” Keel said. Zep was touched and petted, and handler Dave Parker fielded a barrage of questions with ease. Zep was continuously surrounded by children, yet he handled himself like a pro, basking in all of the attention. Keel and Parker also brought Miya, a Luecistic Texas Rat Snake who fascinated several attendees, and whose temperament was phenomenal, as she was toted around the small area by numerous individuals. Next to Keel and Parker were another pair of snake owners, Alley Boren and Paige Holmes, who each sported a unique reptile. Boren “wore” her Redtail Boa Constrictor, while Holmes sported the Coral Glow Ball Python that nestled around her hand. “I like how many people have interacted with us,” Holmes said. Third-grade teacher Becky Bertoch and her husband offered up much smaller corn snakes for examination. She inherited classroom snakes from Mr. Moeller when he retired from teaching, and since then has continued to have snakes as class pets.
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