On Wednesday, March 27th, the Forensics Club, run by HS Forensics/Chemistry teacher Maureen Chiolo, hosted their 7th annual CSI Competition at the Brian Moore Center. The event was open to all students and consisted of 7 teams that competed to unravel a murder mystery described in a pre-assigned fictional reading. Once at the BMAC, each team was then presented with the crime scene from the story which they were expected to document and process. This involved searching, measuring, and photographing, as well as collecting and packaging evidence. They then worked at various lab stations to analyze samples of the collected evidence. These labs included fingerprinting, DNA, footprint casting, hair analysis, ink and lipstick chromatography, blood typing, and toxicology. The event had an added layer of fun with the help of some Drama Club students who were present and in full character and costume, answering questions throughout the day from the team members as clues were discovered.
The participants were evaluated on several skills and tasks by former Plainedge alumni as well as some professionals from the Forensics field. At the end of the day, a winning team was announced, as well as individual merit awards presented. The students on this year’s winning team were Lucy Younghans, Brianna Orellana, Jadyn Hagerstrom, Sophia Santivasci, Elisabetta Ladisa, Alyssa Longaro, Jessica Gately, and Riley Olson. It was a fun and engaging experience for the students and gave them a chance to learn some new skills as well as apply some they have already learned in a real-world setting.
The club is already starting to plan for next year’s event!