Winner! Landan Mack won the castle challenge in Mrs. Vortherm’s reading class. His castle even included working lights. (Photo/Submitted)

Sara Stadem | Editor

The Tri-Valley fourth graders in Mrs. Deanne Vortherm’s class were recently put to the creativity test with a reading project that Mrs. Vortherm has been doing with her class for at least the past 20 years.
Each year, after reading The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Mrs. Vortherm’s students are to interpret what they thought Cair Paravel looked like in the book. The castle needed to include specific features such as a decorated interior and exterior, four thrones and spires or turrets to represent the castle.
“The four thrones were to be the focal point of the interior of the castle. They needed to include either spires, turrets or both. The castle’s interior and exterior needed to be decorated,” Mrs. Vortherm explained. She continued, “I also had guidelines for the size of box they could use. Other than that, they were to design the castle how they thought Cair Paravel would look like. It is always interesting to see their creative creations.”
Mrs. Vortherm explained she found this idea in a supplemental book for The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and tweaked it to fit her students.
Students are able to choose a partner to collaborate with for this at-home project if they so choose to do so. However, Mrs. Vortherm said that most students chose to make their own castles this year instead of partnering with someone.
The project is assigned in January and the students have until March 29 to turn in their castles.
Once the castles are completed and turned in, the voting begins! The student’s hard work is displayed in the library where the castles are numbered and other students from grades 2-6 get to cast a vote on their favorite castle. Each student gets to place one vote during their library time to help determine the winner. “I think that knowing their castles will be voted on by their peers, they really work hard on the project,” Mrs. Vortherms said. “Mrs. Kandi Miller (librarian) does a great job overseeing the voting process.”
And the winner is….. “Landan Mack is the winner. His castle even had working lights in it,” Mrs. Vortherm explained.
When asked what her students think of the project, Mrs. Vortherm said, “I have students that ask me early in the school year when they get to make the castles. After introducing the project, the students are excited about it and many will give me weekly updates on their progress. I asked them and they gave it two thumbs up.”
Mrs. Vortherms concluded, “I was very pleased with the outcome. My students seem to really get their creative thoughts together and are able to produce a fabulous final project. Their sense of accomplishment and praise from others in the class is rewarding to watch.”