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Town 'N Country School's Camp Is A Study In Crime

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: July 7, 2008

TOWN 'N COUNTRY - The scene: The lobby outside the Berkeley Preparatory School auditorium. Crime scene tape forms a square around an empty picture frame, toppled wineglasses, footprints and a mysterious telephone number.

The crime: A painting on display at an art auction was stolen overnight. Eight suspects had motive or opportunity.

The evidence: Fingerprints, fibers, hair. Ink analysis might show which pen wrote the telephone number. Shoe patterns can help match the footprint to the wearer. And is that blood?

The investigative team: Eight students, ages 12 through 14, enrolled in Berkeley Prep's first summer "CSI Camp" to learn about forensic science. They sifted through the evidence and built a case.

Wendy Livingston, a science teacher for Berkeley's middle division who ran the CSI camp, created the crime, inventing a fictitious art theft and planting clues for her students to uncover. Though the crime never happened, the students took it as seriously as if they were detectives.

The two-week camp builds on the popularity of the "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" TV series but is more than mystery. It builds observational skills, Livingston said, and encourages deductive reasoning.

Courtney Cairns Pastor

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