Drug Free QAC student ambassadors present escape room

CENTREVILLE — Emphasizing no one is alone in navigating a drug free life, Queen Anne’s Drug Free ambassadors presented their one of a kind drug free escape room at the Centreville YMCA June 1 and 2.

Throughout the weekend, the drug free ambassadors welcomed over 100 puzzle enthusiasts ready to put their clue solving and substance facts to the test.

Participants had one hour to decode puzzles using various hidden clues with the goal to learn facts about substances, solve the mystery and ultimately “escape” the room.

“It is an opportunity to have some fun while learning a few facts about the dangers of substances,” Opioid Education and Prevention Coordinator Julie Kille said.

With a design resembling a typical teen bedroom with posters and furniture, a focus for the ambassadors was highlighting the escape room’s underlying story, and message, the resulting puzzle pieces put together. Maggie Porciello, an 11th grade ambassador of the Gunston School said, “The important takeaway was we wanted it to be something that could happen in real life,” she said.

The ambassadors were proud to offer the escape room to the community as a hands-on interactive way to engage with opioid facts as a team.

Participants had as much fun putting their investigative escape skills to the test as they had designing the room, shared the ambassadors.

“Seeing groups work together in different ways to solve clues has been really fun. Learning things never has to be boring,” 10th grade ambassador Samuel Mora of Queen Anne’s County High said.

After completing the escape room, groups were invited to have a snack and share their experiences.

The QAC Drug Free student ambassadors had utilized the escape room idea to enter a national competition with Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), Kille said. The goal of the competition was to enter an idea of how to share the dangers of pills with their peers, she said.

The student’s Escape Room was selected as one of the top six winners of the competition’s 200 entries, earning them $5,000, she said.

Officials with Save the Day Escape Rooms lent expertise and mentorship to help the ambassadors craft the perfect puzzle space, Kille said.

A collaborative effort with the whole community, the ambassadors partnered with local businesses and drug free organizations to offer the event including: the QAC Drug Free Coalition, Opioid Operational Command Center, Chesapeake YMCA, Save the Day Escape Rooms, and the Mattress Store in Annapolis and Chester.

Information about QAC Goes Purple is available at https://www.qacgoespurple.org/home.