Unlocking Innovation: Sutherlin FFA Takes Escape Rooms to National Convention
One of the mobile escape rooms under construction.
Secret passageways, mysterious codes and a competitive spirit are all key components of an exciting escape room. However, participants don’t often think about the mechanical design and craftsmanship required to create a memorable experience.
Attendees at the 99th National FFA Convention & Expo may be surprised to learn that their escape room was built entirely by students from Sutherlin High School in Oregon as part of the national effort to promote agricultural education.
At the convention, four mobile escape rooms created by the Sutherlin FFA Chapter will be featured as a part of the National Association of Agricultural Educators (NAAE) TeachAg Campaign.
The campaign works to increase awareness of agricultural education and inspire the next generation of agriculture educators. It does so by creating engaging experiences that introduce participants to the opportunities and impacts of agriculture programs.
Inspired by the TeachAg Breakout Challenges, the escape rooms combine interactive problem solving with student innovation. Participants will encounter hidden vaults, interactive officer plaques and even a welding helmet that might come in handy when unlocking the next challenge.
Each escape room is completely student-built, from the walls and framework, to the welded decorative details. Students from both the wood shop and welding classes collaborated to create the infrastructure and interactive elements.
The image features interactive components of the escape room, such as cryptic puzzles and the welding helmet.
What started as rough dimensions on a whiteboard evolved into a full-fledged interactive experience. Unfortunately, this did not come without its challenges.
Sutherlin FFA member Beau Olsen explained the difficulty of beginning such a large project. “I would say our biggest challenge was starting from scratch and bringing the plan to life,” Olsen says. “With the combination of a few of us students and our advisor, we were able to put all the pieces together and fit within our boundaries.”
Students involved in Sutherlin’s Career and Technical Education (CTE) program worked throughout the school year to complete the rooms. While collaborating as a team, students also relied on their individual skills to contribute major portions of the project independently.
After the first prototype was completed, the process became more efficient.
“Once we were able to get the first demo built, each part made a little more sense, and we were able to make the next four much better versions and they were built arguably faster,” Olsen says.
To ensure the escape rooms offered a cohesive and engaging experience, students and teachers from Sutherlin High School were invited to test the rooms and provide feedback during the month of February.
Sutherlin FFA members are currently completing the final components by painting walls, printing codes and welding the remaining framework before the rooms travel to Indianapolis.
While the escape rooms tell the story of student innovation and craftsmanship, they also represent the much larger goal of highlighting the value of agricultural education. They aim to encourage future generations to explore opportunities in agricultural leadership and teaching.
