Witch School
Encyclopedia
Witch School is a Wicca
n school offering both online courses as well as on their two campus in Chicago
, Illinois
and Salem
, Massachusetts
. It was founded by Rev. Ed Hubbard . Original content of the site was provided by Donald Lewis and the site was programmed by Lisa Tuit.
, Divinatory Arts
, and more, although many require an extra fee to become a "supporting member". This brought up controversy over the credibility of the site, but the owners and students argue that they need to somehow fund the bandwidth and servers needed to keep the site running. Over 210,000 students have joined the site since its opening.
On November 11, 2005, Witch School began Magick TV, an online television station that has as generated over 400 videos online. Programming has included interviews with many major Pagan personalities, as well as covering rituals including the Animating Democracy Ritual in Washington DC to celebrate President Obama's Inauguration.
On April 1, 2009, Witch School added educational portals for the United Kingdom, Europe, and South Africa. Anna Rowe became Dean and Head of School for UK and Europe, and Raene Packery became Dean and Head of School for South Africa.
In June 2009, Witch School added a social network based on the Ning Platform. They also added a Headquarters in Second Life.
On July 27, 2009, Witch School Live! began as a daily radio show on BlogTalkRadio.com
, along with all the sites connected to them including the Minispells website . The site was advertised as a great business investment, causing even more controversy over the school both from outside and within. The students were also worried about the well-being of the site if it fell into the wrong hands.
The auction of the sale of the witchschool.com website was subsequently removed from eBay. The site was sold to a friendly coalition of students, and it is expected that the site will remain exactly as it was prior to the selling.
On May 17, 2007 Witch School became Witch School International, Inc., a Delaware Corporation with offices in Illinois. Witch School International, Inc. is a shareholder company that has over 100 shareholders as of November, 2007.
Witch School moved its building to Rossville, Illinois
in July 2007.
The controversy over Witch School was the subject of the 2008 documentary film "Hoopeston." The film premiered at the 2008 New York Underground Film Festival
.
Wicca
Wicca , is a modern Pagan religious movement. Developing in England in the first half of the 20th century, Wicca was popularised in the 1950s and early 1960s by a Wiccan High Priest named Gerald Gardner, who at the time called it the "witch cult" and "witchcraft," and its adherents "the Wica."...
n school offering both online courses as well as on their two campus in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
and Salem
Salem, Massachusetts
Salem is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 40,407 at the 2000 census. It and Lawrence are the county seats of Essex County...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
. It was founded by Rev. Ed Hubbard . Original content of the site was provided by Donald Lewis and the site was programmed by Lisa Tuit.
Website
In 2001, the website witchschool.com was opened to the public. The site offers a numerous different courses in Wicca, PaganismPaganism
Paganism is a blanket term, typically used to refer to non-Abrahamic, indigenous polytheistic religious traditions....
, Divinatory Arts
Divination
Divination is the attempt to gain insight into a question or situation by way of an occultic standardized process or ritual...
, and more, although many require an extra fee to become a "supporting member". This brought up controversy over the credibility of the site, but the owners and students argue that they need to somehow fund the bandwidth and servers needed to keep the site running. Over 210,000 students have joined the site since its opening.
On November 11, 2005, Witch School began Magick TV, an online television station that has as generated over 400 videos online. Programming has included interviews with many major Pagan personalities, as well as covering rituals including the Animating Democracy Ritual in Washington DC to celebrate President Obama's Inauguration.
On April 1, 2009, Witch School added educational portals for the United Kingdom, Europe, and South Africa. Anna Rowe became Dean and Head of School for UK and Europe, and Raene Packery became Dean and Head of School for South Africa.
In June 2009, Witch School added a social network based on the Ning Platform. They also added a Headquarters in Second Life.
On July 27, 2009, Witch School Live! began as a daily radio show on BlogTalkRadio.com
Sale
Due to pressure from the town in which Witch School was located, the owners decided to move to a more accepting location. The financial problems caused by this move forced them, on 10 April 2007, to put the witchschool.com website up for auction on eBayEBay
eBay Inc. is an American internet consumer-to-consumer corporation that manages eBay.com, an online auction and shopping website in which people and businesses buy and sell a broad variety of goods and services worldwide...
, along with all the sites connected to them including the Minispells website . The site was advertised as a great business investment, causing even more controversy over the school both from outside and within. The students were also worried about the well-being of the site if it fell into the wrong hands.
The auction of the sale of the witchschool.com website was subsequently removed from eBay. The site was sold to a friendly coalition of students, and it is expected that the site will remain exactly as it was prior to the selling.
On May 17, 2007 Witch School became Witch School International, Inc., a Delaware Corporation with offices in Illinois. Witch School International, Inc. is a shareholder company that has over 100 shareholders as of November, 2007.
Witch School moved its building to Rossville, Illinois
Rossville, Illinois
Rossville is a village in Ross Township, Vermilion County, Illinois, United States. It is part of the 'Danville, Illinois Metropolitan Statistical Area'. The population was 1,217 at the 2000 census, and 1,147 in 2009.-History:...
in July 2007.
Controversy in Hoopeston
The creation of a Wiccan school in the nearby conservative small town of Hoopeston caused considerable uproar at first. Residents of the town and its surrounding areas mobilized with protests and petitions in opposition to the school, and lobbied the City Council to try to prevent it from moving there.The controversy over Witch School was the subject of the 2008 documentary film "Hoopeston." The film premiered at the 2008 New York Underground Film Festival
2008 New York Underground Film Festival
These are the films shown at the 15th New York Underground Film Festival, held from April 2–8, 2008.-External links:* *...
.