Students Solve a Huguenot Whodunit
It was a Halloween Spooktacular event at Huguenot Academy, as students were confronted with a murder mystery, “The Case of the Haunted Manor.” Students arrived at school on Halloween and were charged with solving the mysterious disappearance of Professor Thistlewood.
The elaborate hands-on game of clues combined a cast of quirky suspects–including an eccentric historian, a paranormal investigator, and a chemistry teacher with a dark past–with critical thinking as students traveled from class to class to sleuth out the day-long puzzle.
In math class, students used fractions and a series of calculations to determine who was present and who had motive the night of the disappearance. History class immersed students in the context as they examined a photograph and discussed Victorian spiritualism. In English class, students debated the validity of eyewitness accounts, analyzing them for tone. And when they got to science class, students discovered a mysterious substance in the chemistry lab, which they pH tested and analyzed to determine it was hydrochloric acid.
Finally, the last clue came in the chemistry lab, which they used to compile an evidence-based argument describing Professor Thistlewood’s demise. Then they concluded that Dr. Hexley – their very own teacher – was the guilty party, as she had blood on her back and had access to hydrochloric acid.
The exercise was a fun day of learning that required critical thinking, text, and data analysis, and academic discourse to unveil the disappearance of Professor Thistlewood.
“I didn’t expect to have such a fun day at school on Halloween; we’ve never done an activity like this before. It made school fun today. Ms. G is so in character! Class was so funny going through the clues with her,” said one student. “This was lowkey tough.”
“Special thanks go to all our staff for working collaboratively to develop this interdisciplinary learning experience for our students,” said Huguenot Academy Director Dr. Merica Neufville. “Kudos to Ms. Jessica Gallery, who led the charge. Students were still talking about it as they left for the day.”
But the day wasn’t all hard work. Students also enjoyed some downtime with Principal Dr. Dagoberto Artiles and Performing and Visual Arts Education Director Matthew Lucero, who stopped by for an SEL activity at lunchtime called “Pumpkin Perspectives.” They painted pumpkins that represented either themselves, the New Rochelle community, or Huguenot Academy, which generated a lot of laughs.