On October 18, the AP Seminar classes took a trip to Just Escape in Massapequa for some team building fun! The students from all of the class periods were split into groups, and sent off to escape their rooms. AP Seminar is the class taken for the student’s first year of the Capstone program.

     Mrs. Berry, a teacher of AP Seminar and Public Speaking at the high school, explains that AP Seminar is a “foundational class that teaches students the ins and outs of researching a topic, then reporting and presenting their findings.” The course “fosters teamwork, and prepares students for the next sequential class in the Capstone program, AP Research.” The biggest takeaway for students from this experience is that “students enhance their strengths in researching, writing, determining credibility, and present. In learning and fine-tuning these skills, students are college-ready by the end of their sophomore year.” While they had attempted to bring their 2019-2020 Seminar students, “the pandemic forced [them] to cancel the trip. The continuation of the pandemic into the following school year prevented [them] again from taking the trip, so this year (2021-2022) was [their] first opportunity to do it, and [they] could not have been happier with the results.” 

     Dr. Fox, a teacher of AP Seminar and AP Literature at the high school, states that the key purpose of this field trip to Just Escape was “designed to foster a sense of interdependency among student groupings. Collaboration is an essential element of [their] research class and [they] felt that this activity would specifically target that goal.” The students were “pre-arranged into groups for the purpose of building relationships prior to starting work on the first research task of the course.” These pre-arranged groups were then “utilized by Just Escape to establish the room assignments. In some cases, two different groups shared a room due to the large class size.” The trip correlates to work being done in the classroom by “intending to reinforce key concepts taught in [their] class such as collaboration, interdependency, and leading with inquiry.” 

Carnival Conundrum

      “Come one, come all, step right up, and have a ball! Are you ready to head down to the most unique carnival of your life? Join us at Carnival Conundrum for bright lights, fun music, classical carnival games, freshly popped popcorn, and loads of fun! But beware, the wind is picking up and the dark clouds are rolling in. Can you make it through the carnival before the storm strikes?” (justescapeli.com…). Carnival Conundrum has: a one star difficulty, a duration of 60 minutes max, a group sizing allowance of eight people, and it is not scary. 

     Elizabeth Ryan, a sophomore AP Seminar student at Lindenhurst High School, took on the challenge of escaping this room. The easiest parts of escaping were the  “physical tasks we had to do, like pop balloons to read a code.” The hardest parts were “trying to figure out which numbers and codes belonged to which locks.” The only struggle the group had was when “[they] all tried deciphering codes at once, each person spouting conflicting ideas.” A point where the conflicting ideas occurred was when “[they] had to base a lock code on either the symbol or food depicted on the wall.” At times like that, “[they] had to base a lock code on either the symbol or food depicted on the wall.” They all had to “take a step back and let one person speak at a time, until the correct code was entered into the lock.” She believes this experience “assists our abilities to collaborate and work together with people we’re unfamiliar with. Even though we did not all know each other, we still had to talk to one another and contribute if we wanted to escape. Liz would recommend this room to others with interest in completing an escape room. Her biggest takeaway from this field trip is “that it’s very important to communicate with the people you are working with if you want to achieve your goal.” There were puzzles that would have been impossible to complete if there had not been teamwork involved. 

Sweet Revenge

     “Wouldn’t it be great to never grow up? We need your help in search for the fountain of youth! Obsessed with youth and imagination, Dr. Dylan has developed a truly sweet recipe for everlasting youth in his candy store but doesn’t want to share it with anyone. You have access to his amazing candy store for just 1 hour while Dr. is out picking up more ingredients. Can you find the secret recipe before he gets back?” (justescapeli.com…). Sweet Revenge has: a two star difficulty, a duration of 60 minutes, an allowance of eight people, and it is not scary. 

     Emma Pollard, an AP Seminar student at Lindenhurst High School, took on the challenge of escaping this room. The easiest part of the room was the last few steps. “The more [they] figured out, the easier it was to put the puzzles together.” The hardest part was team collaboration because “everyone had such strong thoughts about things that they were not listening to each other.” There were definitely disputes within the group, but overtime, they worked together to escape the room in the end. This helped with class work because they “had to learn how to get through [their] disagreements,” in order to escape. They were also allowed hints in the room, “which really showed that it is okay for [them] to ask for help, sometimes people just need a little guidance.” She recommends this room for all to try. Emma’s biggest takeaway from this trip is to “listen to other people’s thoughts. In the room, there were times where [she] thought someone was wrong about a clue, but they ended up being correct.” 

The Illusionist

     “The Mysterious Malini is one of the greatest illusionists of his time. You and your group of aspiring magicians were attending The Mysterious Malini’s latest performance, but before the show started, you stumbled into his private parlor, finding all the secrets to his amazing tricks. Now he has locked you and your group backstage against your will. When Malini returns, he will make all of you vanish forever! Can you escape before his sixty minute performance ends?” (justescapeli.com…). The Illusionist has: a three star difficulty, a duration of 60 minutes, an allowance of eight people, and it is not scary. 

     Avery Sblendorio, a sophomore AP Seminar student at Lindenhurst High School, took on the challenge of escaping this room. The easiest part of escaping was “the end….”, while the hardest part was “starting because at first, [they] did not know where to start, but once [they] got started, things started to flow more.” There were disputes among the group when “attempting to figure out a code to a lock, in which some members disagreed with what lock had which code. The limited time was rough as well.” She believes this experience helped “with teamwork and learning which members of the group will take the role of the leader.” Avery recommends this room to come and try to escape because “it was very challenging, but fun, and it made everyone have to contribute to help and escape.”Her biggest takeaway from this field trip was “learning how to work better with a group, and think more outside the box.” 

Pirates of the Dark Sea

     “Avast, ye Mateys! You and your crew of scallywags tried to steal the treasure of the infamous pirate captain, David S. Calabaza. As a result, you have been thrown into the hold of his ship, The Plunder. Now you must free yourselves from the hold, steal the hidden treasure, and escape. The Plunder. Now you must free yourselves from the hold, steal the hidden treasure, and escape The Plunder before Captain Calabaza finds out and has you all thrown overboard into the deep dark sea. Be quick, he will return in 60 minutes, and the sharks are ready for dinner” (justescapeli…). Pirates of the Dark Sea has: a four star difficulty, a 60 minute duration, an allowance of six people, and it is not scary.

     Jayleen Cuevas, an AP Seminar student at Lindenhurst High School, took on the challenge of escaping this room. The easiest part of this room was “putting the cannon balls into each slot to help [them] get to the next task.” The hardest part of the escape room was “figuring out the order of turning the lights on and off” at certain points. There were some struggles while “trying to figure out the numerical combinations of some of the locks on certain boxes, however, our group worked very well together and escaped on time.” She believes this experience “helped with [their] teamwork and made it easier to adapt to working with others.” Jayleen recommends this room because “it was a challenge, but very fun at the same time.” Her biggest takeaway from this field trip was “working with people that [she] was not extremely close with.” However, this helped her “get closer to these people and it was very fun working with them.”

Cabin In The Woods

     “You and your friends have heard tales of what mysteries may be hidden in the Massapequa woodlands. Late one evening, you venture out in search of answers…only to find yourselves hopelessly lost. Luckily for you, you’ve spotted a cabin in the distance – shelter for the night. Can you find your way inside by dark? You must find what is behind the mysteries, and free yourselves. The cabin may have mysteries that are more than you bargained for” (justescapeli.com…). Cabin In The Woods has: a five star difficulty, a duration of 60 minutes, an allowance of ten people, and it is not scary. 

     Khrystyna Blyschak, a sophomore AP Seminar student at Lindenhurst High School, took on the challenge of escaping this room. The hardest part of this room was “definitely figuring out where to start in the second room. There were so many tasks to complete that everyone was unsure where to start.” There were no struggles or disputes within the group, “[they] worked together very well, everyone helped with something and eventually led to [their] success in escaping. It helped with work in the classroom by “helping decide the leaders and find different perspectives of thinking from other people.” It showed her that “listening is just as important as leading because many minds are better than one.” She recommends this room, “but with a group of people because [she] believe[s] without the big group that [she] was with, it would have been much harder to escape.” Her biggest takeaway from this was that “it was a fun way to build bonds with group mates and other people who are taking the class and no matter how small the detail, some it is very important to look at the bigger picture.”

The Wizard’s Last Quest

     “The great Wizard Merlin spent nearly a decade imprisoned and enslaved by the power hungry King of Swords. Dedicated followers of Merlin, you and your fellow apprentices have been captured by the King and thrown into the dungeon, awaiting your execution. You have but one chance to escape… by retrieving the magical emerald, the source of the King’s dark and terrible power. With it, you can put an end to his sorcery once and for all. Be quick – the fate of the kingdom is in your hands. You may be blindfolded at certain points in this room” (justescapeli.com…). The Wizard’s Last Quest has: a three star difficulty, a duration of 60 minutes, an allowance of ten people, and is slightly scary. 

     Ashley Genovese, a sophomore AP Seminar student at Lindenhurst High School, took on the challenge of escaping this room. The easiest part of this room was working as a team. “Each person found clues and [they] collaborated together to figure out how to get out.” The hardest part was “piecing all of the clues together.” At points there were struggles with “finding certain clues leading to some disputes on what to focus on.” This experience helped “[her] group work as a team and helped with [their] communication skills.” Their group has better communication overall after the room. She recommends this escape room because “it is very helpful with any group work. It is a very effective way to work as a group and a fun way to do it.” Her biggest takeaway from this was “learning how to incorporate not just [herself] but all of [her] group members in all of [their] projects.”

Follow this link to learn more about Just Escape: https://justescapeli.com/