A miraculously reincarnated Albus Dumbledore has come to Ithaca to realize his “lifelong dream of returning to the Muggle world and observing Muggles in their natural habitat.” Who is he? None other than our own principal, Mr. Trumble. Now, students may prefer to refer to the man as “Professor Trumbledore.”
The Tattler learned of Mr. Trumble’s true identity through a secret informant. However, once Tattler staff learned of his alter ego, many occurrences around the school began to fall into place. And the rhyming name isn’t the only tip-off about Mr. Trumble’s secret identity. Take a close look at him, and you’ll see that though he may have shaved his beard and his long white hair in order to disguise himself, he has Dumbledore’s unmistakable twinkling eyes. He often wears a long coat that is reminiscent of Dumbledore’s flowing robes. And though he may not sport Dumbledore’s characteristic half-moon spectacles, we all know that Dumbledore just wore them to look wise and could have fixed his eyes with magic if he had really wanted to.
Stripped of his flowing locks, “Albus” (which means “white”) was no longer as fitting a name for Professor Trumbledore. Instead, he took on the name “Jason,” which means “healing,” to represent how he healed himself and started a new life in Ithaca.
Upon hearing the truth about their principal—or headmaster—many IHS students shared the same question: “Why Ithaca?” However, upon close inspection of our school, the answer is clear—Professor Trumbledore was clearly attracted to our school because of its colors, red and gold. Dumbledore always favored Gryffindor and, being a member of the house itself, feels quite comfortable in the “home of red and gold.”
The presence of longtime math teacher Severin Drix was another reason that Professor Trumbledore decided to settle in Ithaca. In the era of Harry Potter, he clearly liked to have Severus Snape by his side, so he was soothed by the reassuring presence of the similarly-named Severin Drix (though the similarities between Severus Snape and Severin Drix stop, for the most part, at their names).
Additionally, few students realize that Professor Trumbledore may be a major contributor to the success of Ithaca’s Wizarding Weekend, which has taken place in the fall since around the time he assumed leadership of Ithaca High School. While several Muggles have been the main organizers of the highly popular event, Professor Trumbledore undoubtedly helped to breathe some magic into it, supporting his goal of having Muggles and wizarding folk live peacefully side by side.
Finally, Professor Trumbledore has started to implement some practices that he hopes will make IHS more like Hogwarts, though he is a bit limited by the students’ lack of magical ability. Establishing the “four core values” was a clear nod to the house system in place at Hogwarts, because each core value represents one of the four houses. Compassion is certainly a core value for caring Hufflepuffs, while responsible and clever Ravenclaws are proud to take ownership of their own work. Gryffindors clearly live by integrity, and Slytherins exhibit remarkable tenacity in getting what they want. With the four core values, Professor Trumbledore hopes to unite the spirit of all four houses here at IHS.
