“I wanted something that would be a celebration and a rite of passage,” Mr. Loiselle explained. “I had been trying to find something that could pull them all together that is also an activity with a link to the course and some meaning.”

 

Mr. Loiselle purchased a prepackaged murder mystery kit, then divided the students up into two groups of 30 that occupied the same space at the same time and physically interacted, but didn’t talk to each other. Each group had separate murderers and separate victims; the victims became background characters after they “died” so they could continue to take part in the event.

 

The students were all assigned characters ahead of time, complete with their own background stories, secrets, and dirt on other characters. They ranged from investigators to caterers who served fizzy drinks and desserts prepared by Shawnigan’s kitchen team.

 

The action took place in a penthouse suite in Manhattan, where the host was set to make a big announcement. The characters mingled in the first act, conversing and learning about each other, before the murder occurred during a blackout. Between acts, organizers placed evidence in the library, and the students returned with electric candles and began to piece the clues together based on information they had gleaned in the first act.

 

Students were excited going into the murder mystery, and stayed in character the entire two-plus hours that it took to identify the perpetrator. Feedback has been positive, and Mr. Loiselle is already thinking about bringing the event back next year, with some tweaks.

 

“Real transformative learning has to be enjoyable on some level,” he said. “The students will remember this more than a lot of the serious lessons I’ve given them.”