Actions

Midlothian teacher with Hogwarts-themed classroom invites Daniel Radcliffe to visit

Posted at 6:34 PM, Oct 01, 2015
and last updated 2015-10-01 18:47:17-04

MIDLOTHIAN, Va. -- Stephanie Mardigian is a fifth grade teacher at Evergreen Elementary, on a mission to have Daniel Radcliffe stop by the classroom.

Radcliffe, known first all over the world as the boy wizard Harry Potter, is shooting the movie "Imperium" in Hopewell.  It is expected to wrap next week.

Mardigian’s classroom is decorated to the nines, or should we say nine and three quarters, in a Harry Potter movie theme.

She said all of her students get personalized acceptance letters to Hogwarts, and a handmade wand.

“When I walked in the room I was actually excited for school,” her student Brinley said.

“When I came into the classroom I realized my teacher is addicted to Harry Potter,” added student Mateo.

Harry Potter themed classroom

Harry Potter themed classroom

She even has a sorting hat, which sorts Hogwarts kids in the movies into one of four houses: Gryffindor, Slytherin, Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff.

It’s her first year running with the theme, and it was inspired by a vacation to Disney World and Universal Studies in Florida. She bought a lot of props there – and even had to carry the Nimbus 2000 with her on the plane.

“My parents helped a great deal in helping me put my classroom together and in helping decorate many of the props such as the hand-made wands and the various potion bottles,” emailed Mardigian.

Pinterest concepts were tweaked to add specific effect.

“The wands are made out of dowels with hot glue and brown paint,” she said. “The candles that are hanging from the ceiling are paper towel tubes wrapped with felt and a foam flame. The potion bottles are decorated orange juice containers.”

Mardigian has a Gryffindor cloak that she hopes Radcliffe could wear and pose with the entire class.

“I would also like for him to take selfies with each of my students, that way I can print out the picture and frame each one of them and give them as gifts to my students.”

She said today that she was told her message of interest was forwarded onto the movie producer.

“It is very, very much a long shot due to such a hectic schedule, but our fingers are still crossed,” Mardigian said.

Fans of actor Radcliffe have certainly been grinning ear to ear as he takes the time to snap pictures and sign autographs while filming in Hopewell.

“He was such a sweet humble guy,” said Shannon Martin, who lives in Prince George and took his kids to meet Radcliffe.

Martin said that Radcliffe made a “concerted effort to meet and greet, sign, photo with everyone.”

One fan even had his signature tattooed on her leg. "The girl who lived," wrote Radcliffe, on Sheri Bradshaw's leg. It commemoratesa fateful night when she almost died trying to save a wrecked and injured motorist along Interstate 95 South.

CBS6-News-at-4pm-and-Jennifer-Hudson-480x360.jpg

Entertainment

Watch 'The Jennifer Hudson Show' weekdays at 3 p.m. on CBS 6!

📱 Download CBS 6 News App
The app features breaking news alerts, live video, weather radar, traffic incidents, closings and delays and more.