Background on Event
Last year on Nov. 5, the Beloit FFA held an event that was brand new to the school. Senior FFA Secretary Kassie Domann said, “We came up with this idea during officer retreat while playing the board game Clue. ‘I mean how cool would it be to have a live murder mystery party held in the school.’” The officers brought the idea to the entire FFA group and everyone seemed to love the idea. The officers along with committee members brainstormed how the night would play out. Senior Morgan Weston, who was vice president at the time, made player, weapon, and room cards just like the game to match the theme of the night. The participants were split up into teams and visited each room to complete a challenge and make an accusation.
The night utilized the teachers’ rooms as the locations. There was the Parlor, Barn, Silo, House, Shed, Pasture, Outhouse, and Cellar. The rooms had leaders including the officers and a few committee members. They were dressed up for the theme of the night. Weston was Mrs. Pink, Kylie Goddard was Miss Lavender, Gracie Hicks was Agent Maroon, Domann was Professor Sage, Braden Francis was Dr. White, Abby Porter was Madam Cobalt, Xander Elam was Deputy Indigo, and Riley Croisant was Lil’ Red Riding Hood. Each room had a different challenge, some examples being to keep a balloon off the ground, find hidden puzzle pieces to put together, and an agricultural crossword. If the group completed the challenge, they were able to make an accusation to see what cards the room keeper had to narrow their list.
Path to National Recognition
The officers and advisors work to fill out the National Chapter application every year. It is an intense application with many components. There are three different sections of the application, including Growing Leaders, Building Communities, and Strengthening Agriculture. The officers separate the events the chapter hosts into the different sections. The Murder Mystery Night was put into the Growing Leaders section because it taught the participants leadership skills through working in a team to solve the mystery. The Chapter achieved top 10 in the nation in the Growing Leaders sections with the Murder Mystery Night. The chapter also received 3rd in the state for the Triple Crown Award, which is the highest award given by Kansas FFA for the National Chapter application.
On Tuesday, Sept. 26, Weston and Hicks presented to a panel of judges over Zoom about the Murder Mystery Night. They gave an eight-minute presentation, then the judges had eight minutes to question. This presentation was to narrow the top ten down to three. It is a huge honor to be among the top three in the nation in the Growing Leaders section. Weston and Hicks will present in person to a panel of judges at the FFA National Convention in Indianapolis, Ind. on Nov. 1. This presentation will determine the placing of the top three and it will be announced on stage during one of the sessions.
