Today's photo features the staff at the Middle College at University of North Carolina Greensboro (MCUNCG) at the Breakout Games- Greensboro Escape Rooms. MCUNCG started back to school this week and Principal Keisha Brown, front row center, arranged the Breakout Games experience for her teachers and staff. Three teams of 5-6 participants went into different rooms and had an hour to escape. The goals were to strengthen relationships between staff members, to practice working together for a common goal, and to solve complex problems with a time constraint. The exercise helped build empathy for how students often feel when they are having trouble finding a solution, and reminded teams how much can be accomplished when people cooperate. What a fabulous way to start the school year!
Escape or breakout rooms started in 2004 as a video game in Japan. By 2007, a Japanese company created the tangible escape room experience. This immersive experience came to the United States in 2012 (read more history, here). Escape rooms are examples of the "third place" experiences, a place for people to gather and do something together beyond the home and work setting. They continue to gain popularity and evolve in complexity.
By the end of August, all GCS schools will have eased back into the classroom. Here's to a great school year for everyone. Hats off to Ms. Brown for creating this meaningful opportunity for her staff. By the way, all three teams escaped within the allotted time, and, for the record, Ms. Brown's team escaped first!
We've got a couple of escape room establishments here, but I've never tried them, and I don't know how they've fared with the pandemic.
Posted by: William Kendall | Thursday, August 05, 2021 at 10:25 AM