- April 25, 2024
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A group of high school students at Spruce Creek High have been busy putting together an elaborate Halloween attraction at their school to benefit the school's Academy of Information Technology and Robotics.
The Haunted School, which took place from Wednesday, Oct. 25 to Friday, Oct. 27, was put on to raise money for Spruce Creek's AITR Academy, which gives students a hands-on learning experience.
According to Robotics Mentor Kimberly Stears, an AITR graduate, the Haunted School was born when she and other classmates were trying to come up with a fundraiser to bring in more money for the academy. Students who are accepted into the academy have to pay $200 to help cover the costs, according to Stears.
"We came up with the idea of a haunted house because it's Halloween and there's nothing going on at the school," Stears said. "It just kind of went off from there. Every year it's gotten bigger and better.
That was five years ago, and now there is a new team of high school students who have been working after school to put the attraction together. The whole process takes about two months, with students spending about three hours after school planning and prepping. Students also incorporate parts of what they are leaning into the haunted school.
This year, students designed the set with inspiration from London's notorious Bethlem Royal Hospital, commonly known as the Bedlam Asylum. Additional sections in the haunted school had science, art and a Civil war theme for visitors to experience.
"This has been fun. It's gotten better and better every year," senior Justin Midkiff said. "We're able to kind of figure out the kinks on a per-night basis and then on a per-year basis to make the next year even better."
Midkiff, along with Senior Ryley Griffith, has been leading this year's haunted school project. Midkiff has been in AITR since he was a freshman and has been helping out with the fundraiser for the same amount of time.
Midkiff explained that he joined AITR because it gave him a way to do what he is passionate about while still receiving a grade for his work. For the senior, it's a way to combine a student's interests with high school.
"It's really important because it's such different learning," Stears said. "You learn at your own pace but with the encouragement from the teachers, and the teachers help you find those new experiences that you wouldn't get just doing homework every night."
