‘Escape’ into education
Published 10:52 am Monday, January 28, 2019
- Central Middle School students, from left, Ashley Lewis, Brycen Newsome, Lee Morings, Michaela Futrell, Jaelynn Lawrence, Camiya Riddick, and Derrick Nowell put their problem-solving skills to the test inside the Escape Room. | Contributed Photos
GATESVILLE – This past November, students from the Central Middle School AIG program traveled to Escape Room Virginia Beach for a chance to truly test their problem solving, leadership, teamwork, communication, and motivation skills.
Amanda Hobbs, the AIG District Lead Teacher for Gates County Schools, challenged those students to write and publish a blog post about their experience on the Gates County AIG website. Her students followed a set of guidelines to brainstorm, write a post in the blog format of their choice, select and upload pictures, format their blog, and add special features before clicking the “post” button. Afterwards, they commented on the posts of their peers and offered feedback.
Derrick Nowell and Camiya Riddick are shown working hard to publish their post.
But that wasn’t the end of the “experience.”
Cal Bryant, Editor of Roanoke-Chowan Publications, agreed to publish the “best blog” in the local newspaper. Hobbs and her students spread the word and opened the blog posts up for “voting.” The blog with the most interaction would be featured in the newspaper.
“To everyone who commented, thank you for your time and thank you for supporting our students,” said Hobbs.
Maybe it was their catchy title? Maybe it was their creative Q&A blogging format? Either way, congratulations to Derrick Nowell and Camiya Riddick for having the most votes and, in turn, their article is featured below:
MURDER MYSTERY
By Derrick Nowell and Camiya Riddick
Q: What exactly is an escape room?
A: An escape room is a place where you are put in a themed room and are required to solve riddles to get out.
Q: Was the escape room safe?
A: Yes, this was a very safe experience. Usually the escape room is recommended for ages 16+ but an adult is allowed in the room.
Q: Was it fun?
A: This escape room was very extravagant. We were able to use our brains in a fun and different way!
Q: Was it challenging?
A: The escape room was hard. The good news is that if you had a question you could use a walkie talkie to call in and ask for assistance.
Q: How much time do participants have?
A: The amount of time you have is usually around 60 minutes.
Q: Were there different themes?
A: There were a variety of different themes – “The Con Artist,” “King Neptune’s Trident,” and “High Noon Saloon” are a few examples.
Q: What was in each room?
A: There was an assortment of different puzzles and clues in each room. Each escape room has different stories to solve. We were in “The Con Artist,” which was a murder mystery.
Q: How many people are allowed in the room at a time?
A: A maximum of eight people are allowed in an escape room at a time.
For more info about Escape Room Virginia Beach visit: https://escaperoomvirginiabeach.com/.