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After three months of investigations, students in Katherine Hallock's CSI Seagul (Gifted) Class, finally solved their first crime and made their first arrest Wednesday – with the suspect kicking and screaming all the way to the police car, "I've been framed."
Hallock's seventh grade students participated in a three-phase curriculum that took nearly the entire semester to cover – involving extensive research, investigation labs, and a school-wide arson crime simulation, that ended in a mock arrest.
Students were hanging out of classroom entryways urging the suspect – identified as science teacher Joyce Lowry – to run, while other students struggled to control their laughter. "A teacher being arrested, for starting a fire. It's doesn't get any better than this," one student was overheard saying.
"In this unit, I am not sure who enjoys it more, the kids or the staff," said Hallock. "It is always a highlight of the year. The entire school wonders and guesses who is at fault and which teacher will get arrested."
But closing the case, Hallock said, wasn't all that easy.
In Part 1 of the study course, the students researched various careers in criminal forensic science, each selecting a field of study – fingerprinting, ballistics, handwriting analysis, among others. Afterwards, they produced a power point presentation, and then used it to "train" their fellow classmates, who would use their new-found skills to hunt for clues.
In Part 2, the students entered the Mexico Middle School police training academy, and under Hallock's direction prepared a hands-on lab that put their knowledge into action. They lifted and identified fingerprints, matched footprints, studied blood spatter, tire prints, chromatography for inks, and fabric fibers, to name a few.
Then, in Part 3, came the challenge.
After graduating from training, the young detectives were tasked with solving the school-wide arson crime that pointed to at least 25 or more teachers and staff. The identity of the guilty party was kept secret until the end – with only Hallock and the guilty party knowing the real truth.
School Resource Officer Jim Willer worked in cooperation with Hallock, and served the class as a legal adviser for investigative processes and arrest procedures. He provided the class with a tour of the Public Safety Department, demonstrating the various tools they use and the paperwork needed for a case such as theirs.
"Projects like these not only share good ideas, they help build positive relationships between the police and the students, and the faculty and students," Willer said, noting that this was his fourth or fifth year working with Hallock's classes. "It also shows the kids the way the police department works as a team and communicates, and how investigations are done.
"I think it's a good curriculum that's lots of fun."
At the end of the scenario, when the suspect was presented with the search warrant, read her Miranda Rights, and subsequently handcuffed, a "sigh of relief" could be heard by many of the young detectives. All said they enjoyed the experience, some were glad it was over, but none seemed too anxious to choose law enforcement as a career.
"I learned a lot about interviewing and dealing with uncooperative people," said seventh-grader Olivia Eastman, who played the role of police chief. "But the most interesting part to me was putting the information we received together. It was like a big puzzle with pieces that didn't automatically fit."
Assistant police chief Alex Shaw said the project made him really think. "You had to figure out which clues to follow, and a lot took you down a bunch of rabbit trails." The experience has given him "a newfound respect" for police officers. "Getting people to cooperate is the worst," he said.
Other CSI Seagul students involved in the caper were: Austin Arnold, Shannen Maxwell, Bradley Hutchinson, Kamden Ekern, Victoria Shaw, Kirby Weber and Annabelle Strunk. In total, the students spent each classroom hour, five days a week – even some after-school hours – mulling over clues. The crime scenario framework comes from a book entitled "Crime Scene Detective," by Karen Schultz, and was modified by Mrs. Hallock.
"The teaching goals of this unit were many, due to the timeframe it covered and the in-depth studies gifted education supplies," Hallock said. By the end of the curriculum, she said, the students can study and apply scientific methods as they relate to forensic investigation, recognize the role science plays in criminal investigation, develop and apply critical thinking skills, distinguish between relevant and irrelevant information, draw conclusions based on observations and facts, develop question and community skills, as well as become aware of the various careers associated with forensic science, law enforcement and criminal justice.
After three months of investigations, students in Katherine Hallock's CSI Seagul (Gifted) Class, finally solved their first crime and made their first arrest Wednesday – with the suspect kicking and screaming all the way to the police car, "I've been framed."
Hallock's seventh grade students participated in a three-phase curriculum that took nearly the entire semester to cover – involving extensive research, investigation labs, and a school-wide arson crime simulation, that ended in a mock arrest.
Students were hanging out of classroom entryways urging the suspect – identified as science teacher Joyce Lowry – to run, while other students struggled to control their laughter. "A teacher being arrested, for starting a fire. It's doesn't get any better than this," one student was overheard saying.
"In this unit, I am not sure who enjoys it more, the kids or the staff," said Hallock. "It is always a highlight of the year. The entire school wonders and guesses who is at fault and which teacher will get arrested."
But closing the case, Hallock said, wasn't all that easy.
In Part 1 of the study course, the students researched various careers in criminal forensic science, each selecting a field of study – fingerprinting, ballistics, handwriting analysis, among others. Afterwards, they produced a power point presentation, and then used it to "train" their fellow classmates, who would use their new-found skills to hunt for clues.
In Part 2, the students entered the Mexico Middle School police training academy, and under Hallock's direction prepared a hands-on lab that put their knowledge into action. They lifted and identified fingerprints, matched footprints, studied blood spatter, tire prints, chromatography for inks, and fabric fibers, to name a few.
Then, in Part 3, came the challenge.
After graduating from training, the young detectives were tasked with solving the school-wide arson crime that pointed to at least 25 or more teachers and staff. The identity of the guilty party was kept secret until the end – with only Hallock and the guilty party knowing the real truth.
School Resource Officer Jim Willer worked in cooperation with Hallock, and served the class as a legal adviser for investigative processes and arrest procedures. He provided the class with a tour of the Public Safety Department, demonstrating the various tools they use and the paperwork needed for a case such as theirs.
"Projects like these not only share good ideas, they help build positive relationships between the police and the students, and the faculty and students," Willer said, noting that this was his fourth or fifth year working with Hallock's classes. "It also shows the kids the way the police department works as a team and communicates, and how investigations are done.
"I think it's a good curriculum that's lots of fun."
At the end of the scenario, when the suspect was presented with the search warrant, read her Miranda Rights, and subsequently handcuffed, a "sigh of relief" could be heard by many of the young detectives. All said they enjoyed the experience, some were glad it was over, but none seemed too anxious to choose law enforcement as a career.
"I learned a lot about interviewing and dealing with uncooperative people," said seventh-grader Olivia Eastman, who played the role of police chief. "But the most interesting part to me was putting the information we received together. It was like a big puzzle with pieces that didn't automatically fit."
Assistant police chief Alex Shaw said the project made him really think. "You had to figure out which clues to follow, and a lot took you down a bunch of rabbit trails." The experience has given him "a newfound respect" for police officers. "Getting people to cooperate is the worst," he said.
Other CSI Seagul students involved in the caper were: Austin Arnold, Shannen Maxwell, Bradley Hutchinson, Kamden Ekern, Victoria Shaw, Kirby Weber and Annabelle Strunk. In total, the students spent each classroom hour, five days a week – even some after-school hours – mulling over clues. The crime scenario framework comes from a book entitled "Crime Scene Detective," by Karen Schultz, and was modified by Mrs. Hallock.
"The teaching goals of this unit were many, due to the timeframe it covered and the in-depth studies gifted education supplies," Hallock said. By the end of the curriculum, she said, the students can study and apply scientific methods as they relate to forensic investigation, recognize the role science plays in criminal investigation, develop and apply critical thinking skills, distinguish between relevant and irrelevant information, draw conclusions based on observations and facts, develop question and community skills, as well as become aware of the various careers associated with forensic science, law enforcement and criminal justice.
