Forensics is a class where students can learn about crime scenes and techniques utilized to find information that could help determine what happened and who possibly killed who. Taught by Tracy Gilcrist, in this class a student learns skills like blood splatter and fingerprint analysis.

     “We investigate crime scenes, draw crime scenes, photograph crime scenes, and determine evidence,” Mrs. Gilcrist said.

     Forensics is a class that doesn’t require the students to do much homework and at times none at all. Instead, forensics focuses on labs that are prepared by Mrs. Gilcrist. For example, dummies are used to replicate crime scenes and the bodies need to be analyzed.  The students use the skills taught in class to determine how a person died and to extract any information such as fingerprints from the bodies.

    In a fingerprint lab the students have to study objects, to collect, and to compare fingerprints. They compare them and try to determine who touched what by using a fingerprint sheet of a volunteer who touched the objects in the lab. This simulates how people are identified using their fingerprints extracted from a crime scene.

     “We do a lot of labs and not so much homework,” Mrs. Gilcrist said.

    This class is available to juniors and seniors who earned a C or above in Biology and Chemistry. For those who like to do labs in science but dislike homework, this may be the class for you.

   “I would definitely recommend taking it,” senior Jasmine Pang said.