On April 4, 2018, five hardworking FSDB Blind Middle School students – who demonstrated yearlong excellence in reading – were rewarded with a field trip to a local Escape Room. At the start of the school year, BMS students were challenged to read all 15 of this year’s Sunshine State Young Reader Award (SSYRA) books. They had to turn in written reports for each book by the end of March.
Students who met the challenge were invited to participate in a reading rewards and combined mobility lesson field trip. They voted on going to Escape U St. Augustine for their trip. An escape room is a physical adventure game based on video game concepts, where participants have to complete a series of puzzles using clues, hints, and strategy to ‘Escape’ from a room.
Escape U St Augustine offers three different rooms. The five students chose the Castillo De Matanzas room, based on a local historic event (which has a 13% success rate of completion). Students were given one hour to find clues, solve various kinds of puzzles, and collect items to complete their mission to save St. Augustine. There were only 24 seconds left on the clock when the last puzzle was solved. The students demonstrated excellent teamwork skills while using navigation and mobility skills to explore new environments and situations.
All students received ‘Winner Winner Chicken Dinner’ bracelets for escaping the room. Afterward, the owner allowed students to touch and learn about the antique items in the facility and take photos with the props. The Escape U staff were excited to have our students participate. In exchange for FSDB helping to provide braille and additional tactile aids, they donated the entire cost of the trip for the field trip. It was a wonderful experience for all promoting literacy, independence, and community.
By Joy Carriger, Blind Department Librarian
About FSDB
The Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind is a tuition-free state public school and outreach center available to eligible Pre-K and K-12 students who are deaf/hard of hearing or blind/visually impaired. At FSDB, students learn how to do more, be more, and achieve more, fulfilling our vision of preparing them for a lifetime of success. FSDB gratefully accepts private donations to support vital programs that directly benefit students and are not paid by state general revenue funds. For a campus tour or to inquire about eligibility for enrollment, contact FSDB Parent Services at 904-827-2212 voice or 904-201-4527 videophone. For more information, visit www.fsdbk12.org