~ iPod Touch Treasure Hunt

Somewhere in the Fort Dorchester community, James Roller, FDHS's yearbook adviser, has hidden a treasure: an iPod Touch (well, actually not the iPod itself, but a certificate to claim the iPod).

Mr. Roller will release clues to its whereabouts at least twice a week (maybe more) until the treasure has been found.  Clues can found in one of three places:  fdhsyearbook.com, fdhsnews.com, or on the yearbook's Facebook page.

"Like our Facebook fan page or follow us on Twitter ," said Mr. Roller.

"It is to the treasure hunter's advantage to 'befriend' the yearbook's Facebook account, as I intend to release notifications of all newly released clues via Facebook and maybe some of the actual clues on there as well," Roller said.  "If you are not our friend, you cannot get all the clues.

“But if you want to be the first to know when new clues are entered, you will want to sign up for text alerts. Get text alerts by texting fdhsyearbook to 70359. Standard text messaging rates do apply.

Now, no one knows the whereabouts of the treasure except Mr. Roller, not even a single member of the yearbook staff, so everyone (students, faculty, staff members, etc.) is eligible to seek the treasure.

Below Mr. Roller answers some questions all treasure hunters need to know the answer to:

How will I find the iPod?

Well, like in all good treasure hunts, X marks the spot. The first step is to find the clues on one of the websites.  Look for the red X (see the example at the top of the page) placed somewhere on one of the sites mentioned above  (sometimes hidden, sometimes not).  When you find the X, click on it and you will be given access to the latest clue.  Use this clue to help you identify the hidden location of your iPod. 

How will I know if a new clue is released?

1. 1) Every time I release a new clue, I will send out a text message update.
   

2. 2) Next, I will update the status on Facebook/Twitter.
   

3. 3) At last, I will make a note on the yearbook site's Welcome page.   
   

4. 4) I will release clues at least twice a week until the iPod has been located.
   

So will there be an actual X marking the spot where the treasure is hidden?

Maybe ... maybe not.  The X ‘s you find on the websites are the real clues to its hidden whereabouts.  Whether there is an actual X where the treasure is hidden is not really important.  Find the X I hide on these sites when I release a new clue and it will “mark the spot” where you can find the treasure.

Who is eligible to play?

Well, everyone except me.  I am the only person who knows where the treasure is hidden, so everyone else can play... teachers, students, parents, anyone.  In fact, while the intention is for someone in the Fort Family to win, there are no restrictions on who can claim the prize.

How long will the treasure hunt last?

Until someone wins... whether it is with the first clue or the fifty-first.

Tell me about the clues.

I don’t have any of the clues pre-made.  I will make them up as I go.  I imagine some will be riddles and some will be photos/drawings/illustrations; others might take a different form.  I don’t really know; hopefully, inspiration will strike when the time comes.  I am sure some clues will be easier than others, but none will be too obvious and none will be intended to give the location away by itself. Use all the clues to help put the picture together to find your treasure.  All old clues will be archived here. By the way, I may release some of the clues as PDF files.  While most computers will have a PDF reader installed (Adobe Acrobat, for instance) if you need one, you can download one for free here.

Is the treasure located on campus?

Maybe, maybe not... All I’ll say for sure is that it is in the “Fort Dorchester community” and that anyone will be able to access it if they know where to look.  Good luck with that! That’s what the clues are for.

How will I know if I have found the treasure and what do I do then?

Oh, you’ll know... There won’t be any question about that.  When you find the treasure, you will also find the instructions on what to do next.

What if someone just stumbles across it?

Well, then it’s their lucky day!  Oh, well.  They can claim the prize and the treasure hunt ends early.

Couldn’t someone just forge a copy of the certificate?

I suppose anything is possible, but I don’t see how.  Even if I release a clue showing what the certificate looks like, I assure you there will be no way to fake the actual winning certificate.  By the way, one of the instructions that will accompany the treasure is to tell me exactly where it was hidden, so even if it was forged, there is no way of knowing that answer without having found the original.  If you can’t answer that question, you cannot claim the prize, original certificate or not. There are other assurances included as well.