Across Maine, teachers are swapping worksheets for padlocks and ciphers — turning ordinary lessons into 45-minute breakouts where students race the clock to solve their way out.
In this first issue we round up the schools doing it well, the events where you can learn the craft, and the grants and templates to help you build your own. Grab a clipboard and a stopwatch.
In the News
Seventh graders had 50 minutes to decode a fictional historian's journal, crack three combination locks, and "escape" before the bell. Teachers report it was the most engaged the class had been all year.
Read the full story
Download the printable flyer for our June community event and hang it in your school. The puzzles are designed for mixed-age teams, so families can play together.
Download the flyerBuilt a great breakout? Submit it to the statewide library so other Maine classrooms can run it too.
Open the submission form
The first 40 schools approved for starter-kit grants will receive their lock-and-cipher boxes by the end of the month.
See what's insideUpcoming Events
A full day of hands-on breakout design: build a puzzle in the morning, test it on real students in the afternoon, and leave with a kit you can run Monday. Hybrid — join in person or stream the workshops.
Register NowOpportunities
Up to $500 per classroom for locks, blacklights, lockboxes, and printing. Open to any Maine public school educator — first-time applicants encouraged.
Apply Now
Maria Rivera rebuilt her entire fractions unit as a series of cipher puzzles. Students decode their way to the next problem set, and her quiz scores have climbed two letter grades on average.
Read the spotlightThe countdown clock does something no worksheet can — it makes every single student lean in and argue about the math.Dr. Alan PryPrincipal, Lewiston STEM Academy
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