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English teacher Jacy Douglas and her fellow educators at Parkside School in Baileyton, Alabama, went above and beyond for their students to kick of the 2018 school year. Douglas, along with math teacher Tracy Jones and science teacher Karen Moon, spent two summers creating the middle school's very own "Wizarding World of Harry Potter."

"The idea was first formed several years ago before the final 'HP' book was released," Douglas explains. "The seventh and eighth grade teachers at the time discussed the idea in a general way, like 'Wouldn't it be cool if we could make our rooms be like Hogwarts? Which house would you be?'"

It took a few years, but in the spring of 2017, the teachers were given the green light to begin the project. Though it started in just three classrooms, the magic eventually grew into the hallways of the school, and they added a fourth classroom to the roster to make sure every Hogwarts house was represented.

"We did not have a large budget for this project," Douglas says. They raised $5,000 over the course of a few years in order to "paint the murals and add a few decorative items" to the classrooms. Everything else was either homemade or purchased for very little money.

"We were resourceful because we had to be, and I think it ended up being even better than if we had just purchased the items."

Of course, they weren't completely without help. A local building supply store, Walker Bros., LTD, was their "adopt-a-school" partner and donated a lot of the materials needed to make the magic happen.

Friends and family played a big role in getting it all done, too, working late into the night to create the magical masterpiece. "I couldn't begin to count how many hours we spent at school over the course of two summers," Douglas said.

"It became a running joke that we needed to be out by 11:00 p.m. because the alarm would go off. We are a good team."

The details are truly what makes this project so masterful. From the tiny sign above a cabinet warning students of a Boggart inside to ads for familiar wizarding businesses like The Three Broomsticks and Ollivander's Wand Shop, true "Harry Potter" fans can appreciate the attention to authenticity.

Not only has the reception from students and their principal, Richard Orr, been great, but Douglas says the classrooms have had a direct impact on the students' behavior.

"After switching from desks in rows to flexible seating, I noticed fewer behavior issues and students more willing to participate in classroom discussions and activities. As a grade level, all three teachers with themed rooms noticed a dramatic decrease in discipline referrals. Those are things that every principal wants for his school: engaged students and fewer discipline issues!"

So why "Harry Potter?" Douglas says, simply, it's a story her students can relate to.

"Maybe we aren't wizards, but we've all had the experiences like going to school, dealing with bullies, having a crush, getting into trouble with our friends, finding our way in the world and just growing up in general."

Douglas also shares why creating such an escape from reality was important for her, Moon and Jones.

"Over 75% of our students at Parkside are eligible for free or reduced lunch. This is a high poverty area, but we don't think our students should suffer because of the size of their school or the ZIP code of where they live. Students don't have any control over those things.

"We want our classrooms to be a safe haven, where students who maybe don't have a lot of support at home, can feel loved and appreciated. Even students who do have a lot of familiar support sometimes struggle during middle school, because there are so many changes happening in their lives. We want them to know that we see them; they matter to us.

"Harry was able to escape a miserable existence at his aunt and uncle's home by going away to school at Hogwarts. We wanted to make our school a bit of an escape from the ordinary, where all of our students can see reading come to life and escape any negativity that might be happening elsewhere in their lives. Middle school can be a hard age; we want our students to look forward to coming into our classrooms to learn and grow, both academically and socially."

For more details and how they created their magical world, check out the additional photos below: