Glowing sewage, a haunted tree, a few rats here and there, a chained-up ogre in the corner and a giant clown face laughing maniacally. Just a regular day at work for these Watkins Mill students.

Faced with the challenge of finding a job while still in high school, juniors Lenox Kamara and Ian Nathan and senior Aarohi Brahambhatt turned to Monster Mini Golf in Gaithersburg. Senior Alex Thanicatt and his brother, sophomore Evan Thanicatt, also work there, under general manager Frank Thanicatt, their father.

“It’s my family business,” Alex Thanicatt said. “And I feel like I have a responsibility to try and help.” MMG staff members aren’t just employees; they hold the official title of “mad scientists.”

Walking into MMG is strange experience to new customers, since it looks like it could be a Halloween store if it weren’t for the holes on the course. However, the students are right at home. Frank Thanicatt said, “The benefit of hiring students is that they quickly adapt to our glow-in-the-dark environment, the technology we use, and they connect with the kids and families that come in.”

Students can sometimes be a difficult bunch to work with. Frank Thanicatt said that although the youthful staff can get distracted, “We encourage the staff to play a little so they can learn more about the facility and how things work, and of course, improve their golf game.”  Because MMG is a glow-in-the-dark, monster themed mini-golf facility, having fun is part of the job.

Other than free golf games, the student mad scientists agree that working with kids is a great experience. Alex Thanicatt said, “The reason why I like working at Monster Mini Golf, more than anything, is that look in a kid’s eyes when they come in and they’re like ‘Mommy I glow!’ and they’re just all excited, it’s the neatest thing.” 

Working with kids can be challenging at times but Brahambhatt said, “I really like my job. That’s my internship for child development… I wanted to do something more fun, so given the option of working at Monster Mini Golf, that’s what I chose.” When compared to a desk job, playing golf with kids is more entertaining.

MMG staff have a number of tasks to complete within one work day, ranging from hosting a birthday party to fixing arcade games.  “I think that it’s a really exciting experience,” Alex Thanicatt said. “You get a very dynamic experience, as opposed to working at other places where you’d only be behind a counter.”

Even though it’s a fun job, it’s still a job. Not everything is fun and games, and even mad scientists have to clean the bathroom at some point. Work life can be difficult, but as Nathan said, “What better way to do that than to do it with someone that I know?”

The WMHS students at MMG all enjoy working with each other and getting to know their classmates outside of school. Evan Thanicatt said that working with friends “makes [the job] easier… Someone’s always there to help you when you need help.” The majority of the MMG student workers were friends before they became colleagues.

This group of friends also includes several WMHS alumni, who stayed on the job after graduation and continue to work there while attending local colleges. Working together has only strengthened their friendship as a whole. Brahambhatt said, “I love my employees, my coworkers, we really work together well, and it’s like we’re a family.”