Mischief managed: Beloved Southampton teacher retires after 25 years of magical Quidditch traditions

SOUTHAMPTON — Scarlett Snyder caught a bit of magic playing in a championship Quidditch match when she snared the fast-flying Golden Snitch. But it wasn’t at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in the fabled Harry Potter universe.

Instead, the magic unfolded on a recent Wednesday at Southampton’s William E. Norris Elementary School. Hundreds of parents, teachers and students of all ages packed into the gymnasium to watch sixth graders like Snyder compete in the school’s 25th annual Quidditch Tournament — a highly anticipated tradition.

“It’s so fun. I’ve been looking forward to it,” Snyder said while cheering for her teammates on the sideline.

Physical education teacher Jim Hallett kicked off the match from center court, unveiling the gear needed to play: the Quaffle, which players throw to score; the Bludgers, used to freeze opponents; and the Golden Snitch, a fox tail thrown across the court for competing seekers to chase.

Originally a fictional game where players fly on broomsticks, Quidditch has been widely replicated in the real world since the Harry Potter series rose to fame. Hallett said the Norris rendition — a handball-Quidditch blend of sorts — looked completely different when it started 25 years ago.

“It looked nothing like this,” Hallett said, as students hurled the Quaffle toward the goal trying to score. “They [students] tried running around with robes and broomsticks — it was crazy. But we just kept evolving and it got so big and so loved immediately.”

If the daylong event wasn’t special enough already, this year had a little extra magic to it since Hallett, who founded the tournament, will retire at the end of the school year. Hallett said he looks forward to traveling with his wife to visit their grandchildren in Florida, while staying active on the pickleball court and golf course.

“We are so lucky here in our school to have had Mr. Hallett for these 25 years of Quidditch,” said Norris Principal Aliza Pluta.

Pluta thanked Hallett for the extensive planning efforts he dedicates each year to organize the annual Quidditch match. She also emphasized his immense, lasting impact on Norris students and families throughout his 30-year career at the school.

However, he has a sneaking suspicion that the Quidditch tradition will live on long after he leaves, given how deeply the community loves it.

“We train for about six weeks before the game. My fifth graders play it also,” Hallett said. “We do a lot of cool stuff, but this is one of the big ones.”

Before the match started, the school honored Hallett with a surprise visit from former Norris student Emily Kassis, who helped inspire him to start the tournament 25 years ago. Kassis and Hallett’s daughter, Aleigha Daigle — whom Hallett fondly remembers reading the Harry Potter books with when she was a child — helped start the tournament when they were both in the same class at Norris.

“We were going to the movies and she and I were talking about how awesome it would be to play the game at school,” Hallett said about he and Daigle.

After falling in love with the series as a kid, Kassis pushed to bring the magical sport to life on campus.

“In fourth grade, I was Harry Potter obsessed and when I heard about the game Quidditch, I brought it to Mr. Hallett and he let us play,” Kassis told the crowd. “You have no idea how thrilled and excited I am that you guys are all still playing it today.”

Since moving on from Norris, Kassis has traveled to different countries and lived in Boston for work before recently returning to the area. Her message to the students is one that Hallett and the Harry Potter stories instilled in her years ago.

“I haven’t found anything that is cooler than being kind,” Kassis said. “Be ready to serve others and protect them.”

While the student tournament takes place during the day, the annual tradition concludes with an evening match where students play against the school faculty just for fun. For Superintendent Vito Perrone, the tournament is another example of how Norris, and Southampton as a whole, builds community by coming together.

“This event’s been going on for 25 years and it’s become engrained in the culture of William E. Norris,” Perrone said. “It’s a huge community building event — stakeholders are here, parents are here and the kids love it.”