Welcome to Ravenclaw!Welcome back home, eagles! Special welcome to the eaglets who will be joining us for the first time this school year. This newsletter is admittedly lengthy, but has a lot of information about all things HOL for you. In my 4 years here, I’ve learned so many new things and I’ve met people from around the world who I can now call friends for life. I hope that the same can happen for all of you!
There is a LOT on both HOL and within Ravenclaw to get involved in. It can seem overwhelming at first, so we’re dedicating this newsletter to help our new members (and veterans, too, for that matter) get a grasp on how to access things on the site. You will also learn a lot of this information through your HOL 101 class.
If you have questions about anything at any time, feel free to ask any of the Ravenclaw Prefects and they'll be happy to answer or point you in the right direction. Remember, we're here to help!
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 or click on the links below:
HOL Handbook
HOL Code of ConductChatrooms/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 or at the link below.
ChatroomsHOL 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. 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. Right now, Diagon Dealings is in progress until August 17th, and you can still sign up!
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Art Department: Located on the main HOL page, the Art Department offers monthly art 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 - due August 31st!
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Library Department: Also accessible on the main HOL page, the Library Department will offer monthly writing prompts for you to participate in and vote on. New prompts were just posted - due August 31st!
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HOLLERs: HOLLERs is a fun place for all kinds of activities. There you will find monthly puzzle challenges and artistic tasks.
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Book Club: The Book Club offers a space to discuss books, authors, themes, and other things. You can also practice your writing skills there! They also run some big activities - right now, the Book Bout reading challenge is happening until August 23rd. Go get involved!
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.
Ravenclaw BasicsThe Roost: The Ravenclaw Common Room is affectionately known as The Roost! In addition to the monthly activities we have running, there are several forums where you can interact with your fellow Ravenclaws. There are also informational forums where you can learn about how to earn house points and how to get the most of your HOL experience in general! 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. The nests are divided as such:
Blue (A-J) – Alexander Brighton, Gail Allen, Mia Fountain
Bronze (K-Z) – Kendra Givens, Polaris Black, Torii Taylor
Each year, there is a competition between Blue and Bronze which involves four categories: House Points, Activity Points, Blue/Bronze Olympics in November, Ravenclaw Pride Month in March. You can help out your nest to earn points by completing your homework, participating in activities both here and on HOL and just being an active HOL member in general. You can find more details at your nests by clicking here for
Blue or
Bronze.
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 involved with beans to be earned! Information there will be reviewed and updated regularly to make sure it’s as accurate and easy to follow as possible.
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 RavenclawAlte Sententiam: The Alte is Ravenclaw's bi-monthly house newspaper. Articles commonly include reviews, scientifics, puzzles, graphics, and articles about any number of topics. Alte is sure to have something for everyone to enjoy. Anyone is welcome to submit your own articles, stories, or graphics to be published. The Alte is consistently a good read, so I'd encourage you to check it out whenever a new issue is released. You can contact editor-in-chief Gail Allen or editors Prof. Ryan Granger and Polaris Black with any questions.
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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! Recent debates are over the best summer vacation and activity.
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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 StaffRemember, prefects (especially your nest prefects) and reserves should be your first point of contact with any concerns!
PrefectsKendra Givens (Head Prefect)
Alexander Brighton
Gail Allen
Polaris Black
Mia Fountain
Torii Taylor
ProfessorsProf. Kyrie Adderholt (Head of House)
Prof. Arielle Lemoyne (Deputy Head of House)
Prof. Ryan Granger (Deputy Head of House)
Prof. Gustavo Flores
Prof. Limine Snidget
Prof. Neville Prongs
Prof. Rorey Padfoot