The Great Escape
Bellwood-Antis prepares to unveil its own escape room
SWAT Team members Cassidy Troutman, Shayla Branstetter and Ali Dumin break out the old wax to decorate the new escape room at Bellwood-Antis.
September 7, 2017
With the world around us constantly evolving, Bellwood-Antis High school has been transitioning into the new modern age. Last year, Bellwood-Antis administered Apple iPads to each and every one of their students.
What’s next?
A new trend has been hitting hard among all generations, and it’s been showing up close to home. Just last summer, State College opened their very first escape room, called IQ Escape. Anyone who has the courage to step into the room will have their team of friends, family, or co-workers try to escape in 60 minutes. To do so, they must find clues, solve riddles, and use their problem-solving skills.
There are a variety of themes available, including “Stealing Mona Lisa,”in which visitors try to steal the artistic masterpiece, and “Contagion,” in which visitors must open a box with the cure to a deadly disease that may cause the extinction of the entire human race!
Now Bellwood-Antis has built its very own 70s themed escape room. To bring this idea to life, the school collaborated with the Real World Scholars Program, an organization whose goal is bringing entrepreneurship and experimental learning to the fingertips of teachers and students nationwide by helping school districts run their own businesses. Director of Instructional Media Ms. Jamie Forshey, who is in charge of the Escape Room business at B-A, believes this type of opportunity will benefit both the school and its students in many ways.
“Participating in these types of activities fosters teamwork, collaboration, perseverance and problem-solving skills. The escape room is a perfect complement to our curriculum,” she said.
The B-A escape room is located in a room just off the middle school cafeteria, an area once used for in-school suspension. Tech Club and SWAT Team members have been busy preparing the space.
Though the escape room is not quite ready for operation yet, students will be able to reserve a spot during study halls or activity periods. In addition, this business will also expand across the walls of the school, and will be open to the community, businesses, organizations, and even other schools for field trips.
Be sure to check out Bellwood’s escape room when it opens this September.
