Hampton Township’s version of ‘Among Us’ boosts morale

English teacher and Art Club sponsor Savina Cupps wanted to bring positivity to Hampton Township High School students when they returned to school in the hybrid learning model. Cupps was inspired by the popular online game Among Us and with the help of the Art Club and journalism students, they simulated a real life version for the school.

In “Among Us,” characters move from room to room in spaceships and planetary bases completing tasks. Cupps came up with the idea for the Art Club to paint the 12 color characters featured in the game and then placed them in different locations around the high school. Art Club students freehanded or used a stencil to sketch out the characters on canvas, and then they painted over it with acrylic paint.

From December 18-22, students searched for the characters in the high school. Upon finding one of the 10 “crewmates,” students discovered a QR code to scan while the two “imposters” did not lead them anywhere. The QR codes directed students to trivia questions that were written by students in Cupps’ journalism class. The trivia wasn’t simple questions that could be solved with a quick Google search. Every question would reference an article in the online student newspaper The Hamptonian.

“Each answer could be found in the school newspaper,” said Cupps. “I wanted to increase readership of the newspaper that journalism students are working so hard on.”

Cupps said the game boosted readership and students were excited to look for the characters in the hallways. Students who answered all trivia questions correctly were entered in a raffle and three students won gift cards. “I always do an activity with the club that affects the whole school positively,” said Cupps. “You have to be especially creative right now in this unusual time to make school joyful for kids.”