Whodunit? Maybe it was YOU!

The YMCA will be hosting NOT Saved By the Bell, a murder mystery set in 1992 in which you can be a character – maybe even the murderer themself! Try to solve the crime while mixing in with the other characters. You have the option of selecting a character to portray, or you can just be a student or staff observer, asking questions to try to figure out who committed the murder, how and why. It will be a night of fun, treachery and deceit. Due to mature themes no one under 18 years will be permitted. All proceeds will go to the YMCA’s Annual Giving Campaign in support of our Food and Open Doors Programs.

Read the description of the setting and characters below before registering to be a character or observer at this link.

Not Saved By the Bell

Welcome to the final days of the 1991-92 school year at Riverside High School. Run by the widowed, single-parent, respected Principal Belringer, Riverside is a typical Pennsylvania suburban high school. It has all of the earnestness of Saved By the Bell, the snobbery of 90210 and the drama of countless teen movies from their golden age, 1984-94. Does art imitate reality, or is it the other way around?

Today is the last day of school for the seniors – the day of the traditional Riverside High Senior Carnival – held on the school quad, on the grass behind the main building. The students went to homeroom, then headed out to the quad. Just an hour into the school day though, police cars started showing up and locked everything down. Rumors are running rampant…

The Students

Shannon Belringer – Principal Belringer’s daughter. Former straight-edger who lost mom to a car accident last summer; now she wears a leather jacket, smokes, drinks and does anything else she can to prove she’s no principal’s pet.

Pat Graham – The school’s obligatory theater kid. Walks around all day doing impressions of all of the teachers and celebrities. Destined for a life as a stand-up comedian, but will they even be able to graduate?

Heather Harrison – Came to Riverside as a sophomore after being kicked out of all of the most exclusive private schools on the east coast. Mean girl with a senator as her father.

Dean James – Rich, laid back party boy. Nicest car and clothes in school. Likes to hang around with kids from the “other” side of town to give himself a bad boy vibe.

Nikki Kopaleski – The girl in the school from a middle-class family who is undisputedly the most attractive. She is a bit vapid, but is kind, sweet and dutiful to her boyfriend, Jack.

Jeremy Lloyd – The “new” kid in town from the Pacific northwest. Flannel and jeans in all weather, interests include nihilism and trying hard to not fit in.

Mary Moon – She’s an intellectual, bohemian girl. Vegetarian who is assumed to be a lesbian because she doesn’t shave her armpits.

Tessie Moore – Smart, attractive, driven, hard working and a bit prudish. Sure to shine in college and beyond if she can get through senior year.

Jack Morrison – The self-proclaimed “King of Riverside High”. Jack is smug, arrogant, rich and good-looking. He also dates the prettiest girl in the school, Nikki Kopaleski.

Lexi Saab – Pampered rich girl who loves her Daddy, her private masseuse and fancy living. Dreams of being the biggest movie mogul in Hollywood some day.

Samuel (Shriek) Simpson – Head of the school’s A/V club, but not cool enough for the D ‘n D crowd. If anxiety and social awkwardness was a personality, it would be his.

TJ Slinger – Friendly but stressed top athlete in the school. His hobbies are partying and collecting varsity letters. Doesn’t like to talk about his single-mom upbringing.

Chrissy Swanson – Leader of the local bible study youth group. She wants to uplift everyone with the spirit and the story of the Lord.

Heather Zolnerczyk – Sidekick to Heather H. Middle-class girl who enjoys living the high life gravy-training the Harrison family.

Teachers/Staff

Mr. Ronald Belringer – School principal and all-around nice guy. Wants to be loved by his students so he gets just a little too involved in their lives.

Lilly Crane – As the school guidance counselor, she hears a lot of the students’ secrets, but she never tells. She’s a good listener but has no use for rich kid drama.

Mr. Johnny Deepenhall – Long-term substitute shop teacher who came in halfway through the year. He is a terrible teacher and tries way too hard to get involved with the kids’ convos.

Mrs. Walda Heisenberg – FBLA advisor and biology/anatomy teacher. Students love her and she is well-respected by her colleagues as an old-school “lives to teach” teacher.

Capt. Stephen Keating – Former Army officer who teaches history and coaches the football team. Though open-minded and progressive, he expects discipline and pushes even his lowest students to achieve more.

Jessa Pinch – Long time school nurse who will be retiring at the end of the school year. Just when she thinks she’s seen all the dumb things that teenagers are capable of…

Miss Daphne Priss – Recent Bryn Mawr grad who teaches English/Language Arts. What 25 year old wouldn’t want to teach Shakespeare to high-schoolers?

Carl Reed – The school janitor. When he went to Riverside High he was the star linebacker of the football team, now he is the eyes and the ears of this institution.

Dr. Jay Zildjan – School’s main music teacher and leader of the school’s award-winning jazz band. He teaches during the week, on weekends he plays drums with his band Schuylkillnicity.

How You Should Come

Students should dress the way your character would for a day of fun in the sun, circa 1992. Teachers are business casual today.

How To Play

There is a murderer in this school, it might even be you! Please come in character and remain in character as much as possible through the course of the night. Once all characters have been selected, you will receive your character-specific information by email. On your character page you have information that is exclusive to your character or a small group – make sure that at some point in the night you share all of your bullet-point information with another person. You don’t have to give all of your information out at once or to one person, but you MUST share all of it. Only when all of the information is out there can people have a chance to solve the crime. You also must tell the truth as it is written for you. If you don’t know the answer to someone’s questions, simply say “I don’t know”, but if you have information that answers their question you must share it honestly. At the end, everyone will get a chance to give their conclusion of who did it, how they did it and why they did it.

The detective will pull each character from the group individually for questioning, so that would be a good time to get clarification on anything that you’re unsure of or ask any general questions. The detective’s assistant will also be in the common area throughout the night to help people mingle and to answer any questions that may come up while playing.