A 16-year-old Bellevue High School student is channeling the academic pressure he feels into something tangible: a four-room Roman Republic escape room, with every dollar raised going to Youth Eastside Services.

Kaamil Siddiqui, founder of Elite Play LLC and president of the Eastside Junior Classical League, designed and built nearly all of "The Consul Conspiracy: A Political Escape from Ancient Rome" himself, according to the Mercer Island Reporter.

Participants play the role of Roman senators, solving puzzles across four rooms to expose a traitor and save the Republic within 60 minutes.

"A lot of kids are going under really high academic pressure. And I know that 'cause right now I'm feeling a lot of academic pressure in school," Siddiqui told the Reporter, explaining why he chose YES as the beneficiary.

Siddiqui has been building escape rooms for friends' birthday parties and school events since he was 12.

At 16, he took a job at an escape room company, which solidified his enthusiasm for designing his own rooms. He now operates through Elite Play LLC.

His interest in ancient Rome traces to a childhood museum visit with his father, where he gravitated toward the statues and absorbed the stories behind them.

The only components Siddiqui didn't build are the chests, which he had shipped in. His parents helped bring the setup to life, and they plan a full run-through before the event.

His brother couldn't escape.

When and where

The event takes place Friday, Aug. 28, at the Mercer Island Community and Event Center, 8236 Southeast 24th St. Sessions run at 4 p.m. and 5 p.m. Tickets are $15 per person on Eventbrite. No fundraising target has been announced.

Where the money goes

All proceeds benefit Youth Eastside Services, the Bellevue-based nonprofit that provides mental health counseling and substance use treatment to young people from birth to age 22 and their families. YES CEO Laura Hitchcock, who took the permanent role in May, said in an Aug. 17 profile in 425 Business that her primary goal is to "destigmatize the mental health conversation."

The organization is currently expanding services into the Issaquah School District and hiring new staff to support that growth.