Welcome to Ravenclaw!Welcome home, eagles! Special welcome to the eaglets who will be joining us for the first time this school year. This newsletter is longer than other monthly newsletters, but has a lot of information about all things HOL for you. In my 5 years here, I’ve learned a lot and made some lifelong friendships along the way. I hope that you find the opportunity to do the same!
There is a LOT within HOL and within Ravenclaw to get involved in. It might seem overwhelming, but hopefully this newsletter will help sort some of it out. You will also learn a lot of this information in your HOL 101 class, so be sure to participate in that one!
If you have questions (and you likely will), feel free to ask any of the Ravenclaw Prefects and they'll be happy to answer or point you in the right direction.
HOL FundamentalsHOL Handbook: In order to keep the site safe and running smoothly for everyone, there are a few simple rules that we ask all of our members to follow - you'll find these in the
HOL Handbook and the
HOL Code of Conduct. If you haven’t read these documents yet, I highly recommend that you do! You can find them all the way at the bottom of the main HOL page.
Chatrooms/IRC: The HOL chat rooms are a great place to get to know your fellow students! There are almost always a few students hanging out in the chat rooms, especially during the weekends. A list of official channels can be found in the
HOL Handbook. Of particular interest, the main HOL channel is #hol and the Ravenclaw house channel is #ravenclaw. You can access the
Chatrooms from the bottom of the main HOL page.
HOL Forum: If you have not already done so, you should definitely sign up for the HOL Forum using your complete HOL name as your username. I would sign up using ‘Kendra Givens’. The HOL forum is where most of the action happens here, including major site announcements, HOL-wide activities, clubs, classrooms, etc. Be sure to check there regularly for new activities and announcements.
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Current Activities: This is where you can find any HOL-wide activities that are being run. You can earn house points for Ravenclaw if you participate in these activities. We just finished celebrating 20 years of HOL there - be on the lookout for whatever is coming next!
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Departments: Located at the top of the main HOL page, the Art Department and Library Department offer monthly artistic and written projects that you can submit for house points. Other members will vote on the quality of your work, and you can vote on others’ submissions as well. Go check out the current projects now - art projects are due September 2nd and library projects are due August 31st!
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Book Club: The Book Club offers a space to discuss books, authors, themes, and all things literary. You can also practice your writing skills there! They also run some big activities there. Currently, there is a summer reading challenge going on that ends on August 22nd.
House Forums: Even though you are a member of Ravenclaw, you are more than welcome (encouraged, even!) to make an account on the other houses' forum pages. Each house offers activities that all HOL members can participate in. You can earn activity points in those forums as well - Diamonds in Hufflepuff, Emeralds in Slytherin, and Rubies in Gryffindor.
HOL Quidditch: Many new students have asked about Quidditch in HOL. Our Quidditch committee is currently working on revamping the style of gameplay we will use for Quidditch, so Quidditch will be available in the near future. Thanks for being patient with us - we’re excited for what’s to come!
Ravenclaw BasicsThe Roost: The Ravenclaw Common Room is affectionately known as The Roost! In addition to our monthly activities, there are several forums where you can interact with your fellow Ravenclaws. There are also informational forums where you can learn about all things HOL. We encourage you to click around and check out all the information and opportunities available to you!
Nests: As a member of Ravenclaw, you've also been sorted into a house nest (
Blue or
Bronze) according to the first letter of your HOL first name. Nests are split alphabetically
A-J(Blue) and
K-Z (Bronze). Each nest can play host to its own discussions, debates, games, etc. but by no means are you restricted to posting within your own nest - feel free to visit your neighboring nest to see what they have going on!
Each nest is overseen by a team of prefects, who will serve as the main points of contact for all of the students in their nest. Those prefects’ names can be found listed under your respective nest. Each year, we have a contest between the nests to see which nest can earn the most house points and be involved in the most activities throughout the year.
Orientation: If you’re ever lost and need direction, the Orientation section is a good place to start! There you’ll find information on navigating the main site, classes, clubs and activities, and sections of the Roost, as well as a tutorial for connecting to the HOL chatrooms via IRC. There’s also an activity there which can earn you beans if you complete it!
Adopt-an-Eaglet: Ravenclaw offers first years the opportunity to partner with a veteran housemate through the Adopt-an-Eaglet program, located within Ravenclaw Orientation. This mentor can answer questions, give advice, keep in contact, and generally help our newest members learn the ropes. Coincidentally, it's also a good way to make a new/first friend on the site! If you’d like to have a mentor, please post your name there and we’ll get you matched with someone ASAP. Feel free to reach out directly to any of the mentors listed on the Adopter List.
All Around Ravenclawo
The War Room: Want to learn about all the ways you can earn house points and help Ravenclaw in its quest for the house cup? (Which, by the way, is currently sitting in Prof. Kyrie’s office and she doesn’t want it removed…) Check out the War Room so that you can stay in tune with what’s keeping Ravenclaw the best house in HOL.
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Debate Club: Being the thinkers that we are, Ravenclaws are prone to having strong opinions about just about anything. If that sounds like you, then the Debate Club might just become your favorite part of the Roost!
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E=MC Hammer: This is where we talk about music! The lovely Gail Allen always poses a monthly topic relating to a particular theme and then you’re welcome to share a song that comes to mind based on that theme. I’ve discovered a lot of new music this way!
Ravenclaw StaffHere is a list of our current prefects and professors. Prefects (especially your nest prefects) and reserves should be your first point of contact with any concerns! You can also find our staff list on the main HOL page
here.
PrefectsKendra Givens (Head Prefect)
Alexander Brighton
Gail Allen
Mia Fountain
Torii Taylor
Amy Smith - Reserve Prefect
Silvana Mandeville - Reserve Prefect
ProfessorsProf. Kyrie Adderholt (Head of House)
Prof. Arielle Lemoyne (Deputy Head of House)
Prof. Ryan Granger (Deputy Head of House)
Prof. Sindor Aloyarc
Prof. Rorey Padfoot
Prof. Neville Prongs