At Summit Elementary School in Boyd County, three students — Christian Jackson, Jonah Slone, and Hunter Mulhearn — created a website called Mystery History to help classmates explore social studies more interactively. Their project incorporates digital “breakout” games that teach about the branches of government, founding fathers, and more. Players solve clues, answer questions, and unlock content in an engaging way.
Using tools like Google Sites, Docs, Slides, Forms, Canva, and others, the students built five distinct games tied to government structure and history. One particularly dramatic game scenario involves rescuing the president from a bunker, prompting players to apply their knowledge of the executive branch.
Mystery History won Best STLP Project in Kentucky (K-5 Division) at the 2025 Student Technology Leadership Program (STLP) State Championship — an event with over 500 schools competing. Summit had won a similar honor in 2023. The project also reached a wider stage, with the team presenting at the 2025 ISTE conference in San Antonio. During the year, some 280 students across the school tried out their games.
The success of this project highlights both student creativity and the power of project-based learning. As one of their teachers noted, this is more than technology — it’s about collaboration, audience communication, and adaptability.
Read the full story on Kentucky Teacher (from Joe Ragusa):
