A hopeful Highlander Hunt winner runs up the stairs of the steam building with a hunch and a hope. He goes into his math class and chats with his teacher while scanning the room intently. He goes around, looking under desks and above countertops until he finally spots it, a small keychain tucked behind some supplies. He gets his photo taken and heads back to lunch triumphantly.
The Highlander Hunt is a scavenger hunt program operated on the Piedmont High School Instagram account and was started on Sep. 15. A small keychain or stuffed animal is hidden in a classroom around campus and a photo of the item is posted on Instagram. The first person to find it gets to keep the item.
Principal David Yoshihara said he started the Highlander Hunt after hearing from staff members that students liked scavenger hunts.
“[The Highlander Hunt] seemed doable and something I could take on myself,” Yoshihara said. “I put a poll in the parent newsletter, and the response was positive.”
Yoshihara said the Highlander Hunt was also created to improve spirit and to make the campus a less stressful and more fun place.
“It shows the fun of Piedmont,” junior Jerry Yu said.
Yoshihara said it is a great way to reach a different group of students than those who participate in other spirit activities, like rallies and sports games.
“It’s a non threatening activity, rallies are fun but performing in front of hundreds of people can be hard for kids.” Yoshihara said. “Some kids who really enjoy [the Highlander Hunt] may not be the ones who enjoy other activities.”
Freshman Austin White said it has forced him to go all over campus and discover new areas and meet new teachers.
“It helps us get to know the teachers better, having to go to their classrooms, and it definitely improves spirit,” Austin said.
Yu said it has been a great way to reconnect with teachers he has had in the past.
“It’s great for school spirit. It allows students to explore the campus more and it jogs competition,” Yu said.
Math teacher David Paulsa said he’s had students come into his classroom looking for the item and has talked with them.
“I’ve seen kids going around through classrooms looking for an item, they seem to be having fun,” he said.
Junior Petro Papahadjopoulos said that it has become a great activity to do during lunch or his free period.
“I think it’s a really cool thing to do, it’s something new that a principal hasn’t had before,” Papahadjopoulos said.
Yoshihara said his primary goal for the future is to make it more accessible to all students, as it is currently only on Instagram.
“The problem is it’s on Instagram, not all kids have social media, so there are some questions about how we get it to a larger audience,” he said.
Freshman Bennet White said he would like to see the Highlander Hunt expand in other ways.
“I think it would be cool if they expanded [the Highlander Hunt] to riddles and treasure hunts without pictures,” Bennet said.
Papahadjopoulos said that he enjoys the Highlander Hunt as it is and doesn’t necessarily wish to see changes in the future.
“It’s nice, fun, and simple while still being challenging, I really like the Highlander Hunt,” he said.
