“Good afternoon ladies, gentlemen and people of the press. My name is Dylan McCaig. Today we are here outside Saugerties High School due to an unprecedented morbid discovery. Authorities were contacted yesterday morning to investigate a possible homicide when a skeletonized body was discovered in the garden. SSPD (Saugerties Sawyer Police Department) forensics as well as SCSI (Saugerties Crime Scene Investigation) forensics are working diligently together to identify the victim and obtain more information. We will not be taking questions, as the investigation is ongoing. If you have any information, please contact our tip line at SHScrimestopper@saugerties.k12.ny.us.”
Dylan McCaig is a student at Saugerties High School, and his press conference was part of a yearlong project-based learning program called SHS-CSI. The ambitious project will see students in a variety of different classes endeavor to study and solve the fictitious case, engage in a mock trial, report on the proceedings and so much more. Though its name is based on the popular CSI: Crime Scene Investigation television series, one of the organizers said it was inspired by another form of media.
“I was taking my son out to his internship in Shawnee, Kansas this summer, and instead of listening to music, I started listening to podcasts,” said Scott Wickham, one of several faculty advisors involved in the project. “I started getting into Dateline and 2020 and those types of podcasts and all of a sudden it struck me that the district has been pushing project-based learning and sending us to conferences, and they flew us out to San Diego to a place called High Tech High, and all of a sudden I was like, wow.”
The “wow” moment led to discussions with other teachers and district administrators, and that led to SHS-CSI. Gwendolyn Roraback, the district’s assistant superintendent of curriculum and instruction called the project a “labor of love.”
“We launched last year project-based learning (PBL), but this is more than just PBL because there can be all different types of PBL,” said Roraback. “It can be project-based learning, problem-based learning, process-based learning, phenomenon, passion or pursuit. And this interdisciplinary project really encompasses all of it.”
Sue Willig’s classes will focus on forensics, mapping the crime scene and studying evidence. They will use that information to determine the next step in their investigation, will consider further forensic tests where appropriate, and will determine which information is worth sending to detectives and prosecutors. They will maintain a lab notebook; serve as expert witnesses in the mock trial; and complete a GoogleForm with reflection questions.
The mock trial will be handled by students of Denyse Ortlieb, observing the crime scene; serving as the defense; learning about trial preparation; examining evidence; prepping and interviewing witnesses; and participating in grand jury, voir dire and trial.
“As the advisor of mock trial, my students will be involved in serving as lawyers and paralegals for the defense, should an individual be indicted,” Ortlieb said. “In the meantime they are learning the terminology surrounding a court case as well as the steps leading up to a trial and the phases of a trial.”
Tim O’Dell’s students will be studying the law; observing the crime scene; be walked through the investigative phase by police; serve as detectives, courtroom officials and lawyers; interrogating suspects; filing probable cause affidavits and search warrants; learning about trial preparation; examining evidence, prepping and interviewing witnesses; and participating in grand jury, voir dire, and trial.
Students in Amy Hayes’ digital photography classes will learn about career options in photography such as crime scene photography and photojournalism; will experience the challenges of one of those professions; organize, log, and share crime scene photographs; and study the mechanics of cameras and photography of maximize their work’s use as admissible evidence.
Amy Hayes also teaches a studio in design course; where students will learn about forensic sketch artists; use video surveillance images along with a witness’ physical description to generate suspect sketches; learn about the role of a courtroom artist; and employ drawing techniques used by courtroom artists.
Ian Cooper’s Desktop Publishing students will analyze the features of a professional poster; determine the type of information necessary and wanted; create a professional quality poster seeking information and tips; and distribute flyers to the Sawyer Police Department.
Psychology students in Judy Hart’s classes will observe the crime scene; observe bystanders and look for unusual behavior; examine possible victimization between victim and possible suspects; interview suspects with an eye on body language, intonation, and overall presence, create a criminal profile; learn about determination of a suspect’s mental ability to stand trial; and act as expert witnesses during trial.
Students in Jackie Hayes’ Broadcast Journalism class will create partnerships for a journalistic outlet to cover the crime scene; work as representatives of the Sawyer New Network to engage with the Sawyer Police Department; and follow and report on the procedures of both the prosecution and defense.
Wickham’s Marketing: Video Production II students will record and edit a documentary of the entire SHS-CSI event; record interviews and provide them to the forensic psychology team, prosecution, and defense; record interrogations and provide interviews to forensic psychology team, prosecution, and defense; live-stream the mock trial; and record and conduct exit interviews.
Roraback said the tenets of the project will allow students studying many different disciplines to not only focus on the specifics of their courses, but also learn and enhance other skills that might be desirable to future employers.
“If you look at all the recent articles in Forbes Magazine of what businesses are looking for when hiring, less and less is there a need for somebody with a particular degree,” Roraback said. “(They) want somebody who has critical thinking can collaborate, values diversity, is empathetic, and is solution-orientated.”
Roraback said the SHS-CSI faculty advisors worked hard to ensure the program was rigorous.
“My charge to this group was that I did not want this to be an activity,” she said. “I want the students to present their learning. And in the presentation, I want to hear what they learned.”
She added that the same will apply to the teachers involved.
“What did they learn, what did they get out of this?” she said. “How might they do this differently? What did they learn about themselves as a person and themselves as a professional?”
Willig is the only person who currently knows all the facts, which are many and varied. Other advisors worked independently of one another where necessary to allow them to work with their students without knowing what was coming next.
“The whole story had to be written,” Willig said. “We were lucky, and the district gave us all day on one of our superintendent’s days, which it was a gift, to organize with each other. And we worked a whole day and got, it’s been a lot of legwork, getting this up and going. And we are still basically building the airplane while we’re flying it.”
Heading into a brief Thanksgiving break, SHS-CSI is only a week old. The program is designed to last the entire school year.
“The students so far are doing great,” Willig said. “They’re really interested. They’re excited. I had to tell my students, ‘If any of the press come up to you and ask you questions, you say, no comment. And they’ll come in all excited, ‘Someone tried to ask me questions and I said, no comment.’ And they’re very, very excited about it. They want to be interviewed, but that’s not going to happen until the end. But they like that.”
Willig said parsing out information naturally, while keeping in mind the story structure and academic calendar has been a challenge. Especially as they’d like to ensure industrious students aren’t able to solve puzzle before its time.
“My biggest concern is that I’m not going to get stuff out fast enough for all the other teachers and still have the kids learn what I need them to learn,” Willig said.
By the end of the school year, SHS-CSI will have been solved thanks to the efforts of hundreds of students, and several faculty advisors and administrators. Its success will be judged by numerous parameters, and school officials said those will be reviewed to determine whether SHS-CSI will be renewed for a second season in 2024-25.
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