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"Harry Potter" sorting hat sparks St. Joseph program

Rite of passage event assigns students a religious order starting in fifth grade

Published: January 24, 2013   

By Patricia May
Fayetteville Correspondent

Fifth-grader Cheyenne Hillman learns her order assignment from Riley Gilpatrick, also a fifth-grader at St. Joseph School in Fayetteville.

FAYETTEVILLE — Some schools have clubs; St. Joseph School in Fayetteville has orders:  Jesuit, Franciscan, Dominican and Maryknoll, and all students in the three highest grades are active participants.

The overt goal is to earn points throughout the school year. The order with the highest score when the school year ends gets bragging rights to the Panther Cup, an award named for the school’s mascot.

But this being a school, and a church school, to boot, one might suspect — correctly — there are other more serious intentions and goals. 

School principal Marcia Diamond explained the orders are a way of building community. Everyone takes part and has many opportunities to earn points by taking part in various activities, whether it’s intramural sports at recess or the annual field day. And because fifth to seventh graders take part, it gives students the chance to make friends outside their own class.

Students don’t have to be gifted athletes or honor students to score points.

“The goal throughout the year is to participate in as many activities as each individual can to help their order win points,” Diamond said.

“It’s meant to not only reward skill and talent but also effort,” she continued.

So while some may score individually by making the honor roll, others can earn points with the team.

“Every student could have a quarter with no missing assignments” and earn points for his or her order, regardless of what grade was earned. “You can be all of those things (athletic and an honor student) or you can participate in any of (numerous activities) and still earn points for your team.”

Students can also earn points by reaching goals they set in the Accelerated Reader program, Diamond said. 

“One of the orders read over a million and a half words,” she noted.

Results from all competitions are announced quarterly so the students know where their order stands.

“It’s a nice balance and something everyone can accomplish,” Diamond added.

It’s a rite of passage for fifth-graders, who learn shortly after the fall term begins which order they’ll be assigned to for the rest of their time at St. Joseph.

“We use sort of a Harry Potter sorting hat,” Diamond explained.

As Potter fans know, Hogwarts students where Harry studied were assigned to one of four houses — Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw or Slytherin — by a magical hat that sorted the students.

The hat at St. Joseph gets help sorting from the teachers.

“I think teachers put time and effort into it,” trying to ensure each order has a good balance of skills and to foster mentoring relationships between older and younger students, Diamond said.

Last fall, the assignment ceremony was held in the new DeBriyn Family Life Center.

“We had a voice come over the intercom in the gym and dimmed the lights,” Diamond said. Students were tapped individually by their orders and each one got a few moments with the hat.

“It’s really fun and a real sense of excitement for the students,” Diamond added.

They’re excited to learn which group they’ll be with and who will be there with them. All fifth-graders are assigned as are any new sixth- and seventh-graders.

One of the first things the groups do each fall is create an order cheer and a bulletin board about the Jesuit, Franciscan, Dominican and Maryknoll religious orders.

Diamond credits Mark Wilburn, assistant principal and athletic director, with the original idea when he was teaching middle school three years ago.

“It has continued to grow and develop, and each year teachers think of new contests and competitions,” Diamond said. “It kind of creates an incentive to work harder.”

The competition seems to be well balanced so far. “Two different orders have won the past two years,” Diamond said. But she cautions, “Anything could happen this year.” There’s still a long way to go until the Panther Cup is awarded.

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