Sherlock Holmes helps students unravel mystery of learning

This past fall, eighth graders could be seen scurrying around campus with crumpled sheets of paper in their hands, frantically looking for some unknown object. It was the “Darlington Ritual” at work, as designed by Middle School English teacher Ken Wempe.

Following the example of one of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s short stories, The Musgrave Ritual featuring Sherlock Holmes, in which the detective is asked to unravel the mysterious meaning of an ancient family ritual, Wempe’s students were asked to use their own powers of deduction and language to decipher a set of clues that led to treasure. “The activity is designed to help students get a feel for Sherlock Holmes’ methods of detection, to improve their study of language and their use of logic, and to have a little fun,” Wempe said.