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During the 'mock crime' exercise at Windham High School
a student 'evidence technician' collects a sample from the
suspect, played by 2021 WHS graduate Griffin Wirtz.
PHOTO BY GARY HARRIMAN |
By Lorraine Glowczak
There was plenty of mayhem in the
early morning hours on Thursday, May 5, on “Moose Falls High School” campus –
or rather – the Windham High School (WHS) campus. “Moose Falls” was the feigned
title given to WHS as part of a mock crime scene curriculum study for about 100
students in the English, journalism, math and science classes.
Working alongside the Windham Police
Department (WPD), who were instrumental in helping to create an authenticated
“crime”, students from math and science worked as “evidence technicians” that
collected and analyzed data. They collaborated with the English “detectives”
who interviewed the witnesses and suspect (he pleaded the fifth) to develop a
theory of the crime. The “journalists” were on hand to write press releases and
articles to “inform the public.”
The “crime” involved a car accident
that included a fake passenger who “perished” and a driver, the suspect named
“Jerry,” played by 2021 WHS graduate, Griffin Wirtz. The vehicle used during
the mock crime scene scenario, was part of an actual accident and was towed to
WHS campus by SOS Towing of Windham and placed on the campus behind the
football field.
“The purpose [of the Mock Crime Scene]
is to have the students learn about forensic investigation and give them a
real-life application for the skills that they’re learning in school,” math
teacher John Ziegler said in a previous interview. “Here, we’re giving them a
great example of when they’re going to have to use math in real life...with a
real career-based application to it.”
Science teacher Dan Wirtz explained
that the evidence technicians studied ABO blood typing and did lab work
identifying different blood types. The students also discussed what constitutes
"evidence" and how it is handled from crime scene to trial and even
after the trial.
“We talked about the different illegal
drugs that could be found at a crime scene and detected in a human,” Wirtz
said. “We also brainstormed what other evidence may show up at a crime scene
and how a real event differs from what is seen on TV/movies.”
Wirtz further explained that the
expectations were to understand how the different pieces of evidence come
together to show what happened, which tests are wholly reliable, and which ones
have a high possibility of error.
“We also discussed the rights of
anyone who is accused of a crime and what they must do/say, and what their
constitutional rights protect them from incriminating themselves,” he said.
English and journalism teacher Chelsea
Scott prepared her students for the event by teaching them the essential
details and information required when writing about a crime scene.
“Leading up to and including last
week, ‘the journalists’ learned the nuances of writing about crime, including
what information they should ethically include in a news article and the impact
that including certain information may have on an investigation,” Scott said.
“Students delved into unbiased writing that empowers the public by sharing
useful, impactful information.”
On the day of the event, a former
broadcast journalist at News Center Maine, Shannon Moss, who is currently the
Public Information Officer for Maine Department of Public Safety spoke to
Scott’s journalism students.
“Shannon Moss reminded students that
empathy for the interview subjects is more important than being the first to
release a story. She brought passion and energy to the discussion of the myriad
professionals who work together to both solve crimes and broadcast the news.
Moss generously shared tips for building positive relationships with
detectives, which connected well with discussions that we have had as a class
with guest speakers Bruce Robert Coffin and Detective Sergeant Jason Andrews.”
Other English class “detectives”,
taught by Adrianne Shetenhelm and Nicole Densmore practiced their observation
and notetaking skills.
“The students are writing an official
police report as one of their final projects to improve their informative
explanatory writing,” Shetenhelm said. “They also practiced their speaking and
listening skills by interviewing witnesses and collaborating with peers on
their theory of the crime. Some detective groups will prepare a presentation
for a fictional district attorney. Toward the end of their unit, the students
will present their theory of the crime and prove that the evidence they found
proves the suspect's guilt.”
WHS Junior and English “detective,”
Victoria Lin said she learned many things due to this hands-on and experiential
learning that included communication between big groups of people, relying on
the information from other student detectives through meetings and an organized
digital log.
“We worked in small groups and
discussed our information and theories,” Lin said. “When we made a conclusion
based upon evidence, we would then report our findings to a webmaster who would
enter it in our [digital log]. We had to work together to figure out what
information was missing, what information was relevant, and what kinds of
questions needed to be asked.”
Lake Peterson, a WHS Junior and an
English “detective” said he enjoyed this educational unit because he is a
curious person by nature. This event was like putting a puzzle together.
“I enjoy solving the how, what, when,
where and why,” Peterson said. “We weren’t told anything about the crime scene,
so we had to interview the witnesses and process all the information given to
us the day of the event.”
Both Lin and Peterson agree that the
mock crime scene curriculum was a fun way to learn by working outside of the
classroom and with friends.
“A Mock Crime Scene has so many
important things to offer students,” Lin said. “It gives insight into different
aspects of CSI, experience with communication between large groups of diverse
people, complex problem-solving in real-time, and a direct way to apply what we
learned in classrooms.”
This project-based curriculum began in
2017 and has expanded into an inclusive community event that now includes
members of the community. This year, those who agreed to play the roles as
witnesses included Rev. Tim Higgins of St. Ann’s Episcopal Church, Raymond
resident and active community member Tom Ewing and former WHS graduate Rosie
Haibon.
“I'm just so encouraged that an idea
that began with two teachers from math and English who were thinking about how
we could create an authentic learning experience for our students has turned
into a large school-wide community-building opportunity for English, math,
science, and journalism students who are working alongside the local police
department including our School Resource Officer, Seth Fournier,” Shetenhelm
said. “Students who have only seen the police during difficult or traumatic
events are working shoulder to shoulder with these authority figures.”
WHS Assistant Principal Vanessa
Michaud said she is proud of the dedicated staff who has worked diligently on
this project-based learning experience throughout the school year, noting their
collaboration with the WPD.
“This collaboration provides students
with the opportunity to develop teamwork, problem-solving, and communication
skills and real-world applications to the content skills they are learning in
their courses,” Michaud said. “I am so proud of the hard work and dedication
our staff put into making this experience possible for our students. It is
truly a great thing to see our students building relationships with each other,
our staff, and our community partners.”
Over the next few weeks some
detectives will be pulling together a presentation for the District Attorney
with their theory of the crime.
“Hopefully, their work is detailed
enough that the DA will accept the charges and charge the suspect,” Scott said.
Fournier and the WPD wish to give
special thanks to SOS Towing of Windham, who offered their service free of
charge. <
