During freshman year students read what is normally their first Shakespeare play, Romeo and Juliet. Sean Swenson (FAC) makes learning more exciting for students by having assignments like the Romeo and Juliet escape room. On March 3, Students worked in groups of five to solve four tasks. Each task would reveal a key to decode a secret message about the unit they have been working on in class.

“ I like doing activities I think are fun because if the teacher is having fun I know the students are going to have fun. Sometimes the best way to get students to remember that learning is supposed to be enjoyable is to put it in the context of a game. So if they believe that they are being competitive with themselves and that they want to solve the problem then they are more likely to start internalizing the material,” Swenson said.

To solve the escape room students had to analyze the text, find character, plot, and map out the information they had.

Brooke Stotesbery (’25) and her friends worked together to try to solve the escape room by looking at quotes and other clues that were hung up around the classroom.

“ I learned some more interesting things about the play. There were some hard parts that I had to connect to some topics so I could find clues and answers,” Stoesbery said.

The escape room kept students involved, learning and using the skills they would need to use on the test all while having fun.

“My favorite thing about the escape room was being able to work with my friends and problem solve together,” Stotesbery said.

The escape room not only allowed students to study Romeo and Juliet, it also allowed for students to hang out and connect with their classmates, which can play a role in their learning