Shady Side Academy student creates board game, SSAopoly, that gives glimpse of campus life
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Do not pass Go — instead, pass the Senior Quad on Shady Side Academy’s Fox Chapel campus and collect $200.
In a clever twist on the iconic Monopoly game, students have created a school-themed version — SSAopoly — with details that include paying $10 for forgetting “Dress Up” Day or for buying play tickets from the Hillman Center for Performing Arts.
Sophomore Jason Williams said the idea struck during a math class and he recruited friends to help carry out the somewhat arduous task.
“I was sitting there right before lunch, dazed and hungry, when I came up with this idea,” he said. “I wanted to do something that was unique. I stuck with it through the hard times even when it looked too expensive to even be possible, and our team has done a great job persevering and making it develop.”
Team members include Katie Sparvero, Porter Markel and Jack Keating. They plan to sell the game as a fundraiser for the Class of 2021 and prom activities.
Cost for a game is $32 during pre-orders but will increase to $42. Delivery is expected in September.
The game will be limited edition, with 500 total produced.
Details are painstaking, Williams said. He spent about 45 minutes a day on it for four months.
“I worked on the art building computer that had Photoshop, which I needed to teach myself how to use,” he said. “I needed to make 111 individual files, which was very time-consuming. I also had to take many of the pictures for the board.”
The game is fully customized to the Shady Side Academy experience, Director of Communications Jen Roupe said.
Players can travel around the board and land on popular properties from across the four SSA campuses.
Opponents pay $18 rent if they land on the Junior School playground or $50 rent if they land at the McIlroy Center for Science and Innovation.
Instead of going to jail, they are “dress coded” and land in the Dean’s Office.
Instead of “Chance” and “Community Chest” cards, players pick-up “e-mail cards” with messages that might be funny or familiar to students. One message might be from the library, ordering a $50 payment for overdue books. Another might instruct players to pay $10 for concessions at the football game.
“All the teachers have been very supportive and excited about it and many students have also shown great interest,” Williams said. “When I told many people the idea they were originally unmoved, but after showing them the board, they were impressed by the design.”
To order, visit store.shadysideacademy.org.