Godwin Heights — The scene was grim.
Professor Mann E. Kin lay lifeless in his lab, surrounded by scattered papers, broken beakers and disarrayed equipment — all hinting at something sinister. It was up to the crack CSI team from Godwin Heights High School, armed with notebooks and rulers, to unravel the mystery of his untimely demise.
“The area is messy, so there was a struggle,” said senior Jessica Cervantes Solsa, who pointed to the answer sheets scattered on the floor.
“He was a professor, so he could have had a student who was angry about something, maybe the exams,” said senior Kathy Duran-Reyes. “We will have to process the area and examine the clues.”
The students, who are part of the high school’s forensics class, were tasked to break the crime science down and assess the clues with the goal to determine who killed Professor Kin.
The Basics of Clue Cards and Sheets
The school year starts with an introduction to the field of forensic science. Students learn about the various roles and responsibilities associated with a career in forensics along with basic crime scene analysis skills used by investigators both in the field and the lab, teacher Tonia Sorokin explained. The students also get an overview of the various forms of evidence that could be left at a crime scene.
“The students come into the crime scene without knowing anything or what happened, like a regular investigator,” Sorokin said. “They then have to piece the clues together to determine what happened and who did it.”
Students use 21st Century Learning Skills such as critical thinking, creative thinking, collaboration and communication to dig into the clues, she said, in addition to scientific methods and data analysis coupled with observation in practical applications — all of which connects what students are studying to real-life scenarios.
“It’s neat to see them thinking and working together to solve the mystery,” Sorokin said.
The Professor in the Lab with a Gun
Before entering the crime scene, students suited up with aprons, latex gloves and shoe coverings so as not to contaminate the scene. Groups of four entered and had about eight minutes each to record and photograph clues.
For the first two minutes, students were advised not to speak to one another, but only walked through and examined the area. After the two minutes were up, the students could discuss what they were seeing, record possible evidence and photograph it using evidence cards and rulers.
After examining the scene, the students returned to their seats and discussed the clues and the possibilities.
Senior Yome Garcia said it appeared that the professor had fought his attacker, as there was a bloody pair of scissors, but that the professor had been shot and there were no visible stab marks. She noted gun shell casings were found at the scene.
“There is also the strange note: ‘Organic LOL. How can you do this to me?’” added senior Nyasia Richardson, who mentioned the scattered test answer sheets. “It could have been a student upset about a bad grade.”
There also was the chalkboard that listed office hours, and an appointment schedule with student names. Nyasia said it appeared as if it had been altered, as there were lines on the board. Yome suggested the lines also could have been the result of the struggle.
Junior Briella Walton noticed a footprint in the spilled sand next to the lab table, while members of her team looked at the items on the lab table along with an overturned scale a few feet from Kin’s body.
Sorokin was pleased with the clues his students observed and documented. But just as readers must wait until the end of a book to discover the killer, she said, the students will have to continue to work through the evidence over the remainder of the school year to find out if they will solve the case correctly.
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