The Wizard's Hour

The Wizard’s Hour takes place 5:30 to 6:30 p.m., every Monday through Thursday throughout the school year, immediately after the Fifth Dimension. It takes its name from the creator and patron of the Whittier Fifth Dimension, The Wizard. The Wizard's Hour is planned and guided by the McCabe Scholars team, as are all of the other McCabe Community Education Programs.

Observing that many Boys & Girls Club members struggle with reading and rarely read outside school, the Scholars team has made reading a regular feature of The Wizard's Hour. Children and McCabe Scholars gather in cozy spots during Wizard's Hour for one-to-one reading of carefully chosen books in Spanish, English, or both, to match each child's proficiency. Plenty of discussion occurs, promoting comprehension. Focal themes organize the program. Understanding our own and others' cultures was the central reading theme in 2006-07.

Each year, the Scholars Team develops new features for The Wizard's Hour. A twice-weekly program to help club members build keyboarding skills, and also a teen mentoring program, enhanced the 2006-07 program. The Wizard's Hour regularly serves, too, as a quiet time for personal conversation; and help with school projects and homework is also routinely available during The Wizard's Hour.