Searching for Shakespeare at Columbia High School

What’s past is prologue as Columbia High School student to prepare for a festival. A beloved beginning to the week is the annual Shakespeare scavenger hunt.

Teachers Steve MacPherson, Beth Johnson, and Suzanne Logeman organize the week’s events, which culminate Friday, April 15, from 7 a.m. until 3:15 p.m., when more than 200 Columbia High School students will participate in the festival.  MacPherson and Logeman describe the scavenger hunt, which began Monday, “as a way to involve the whole school, from support staff to guidance to teachers in nearly every department.”

The challenge for students is this: each participating adult in the school has a signature Shakespearean quotation. Some are thematic; the science teachers choose Shakespeare sayings that connect to their discipline. (Hint: there’s a lot of talk of weather in The Tempest, kids.) Others are more familiar with a twist; at least one teacher planned to share Shakespeare in Spanish. (Think “Ser o no ser.”)

When students find the teacher or staff member and discover the quotation, they’re rewarded with a treat, such as a piece of candy. However, some adults in the building choose a treat that suits the quotation, says Logeman. “’Bubble, bubble, toil and trouble,’ just lends itself to little bottles of bubbles,” she says, laughing.

MacPherson notes that this activity is fun for students, who not only meet new adults in the building, but also for the teachers and staff at the high school.  “Some of those who are involved don’t have as much interaction with the kids,” he explains. “They look forward to this each year. If we don’t email them, they email us and ask when it’s all happening.” Logeman agrees. “Sometimes people call it Shakespeare trick-or-treating. It’s really that much fun.”

With 49 stops around the building, and 49 quotations to identify, students have the opportunity to win a big prize, as well, if they successfully complete the hunt.  The real bounty, of course, is knowing the building, its people, and the Bard better. Brush up your Shakespeare, this week, at CHS.

Patch coverage of the Ninth Annual Shakespeare Festival will continue, with this editor is on the scene at CHS on Friday. Find me, quote a line of Shakespeare, and I’ll give you a treat. On with the revels!