In our second year as an Academy, our team really wanted to put together an interactive lesson that would be a role playing simulation intended to require the active participation of all students in the Academy. After a couple of months of putting our heads together (sometimes banging them together) we came up with the CSI concept. An old-fashioned "Whodunit" that would necessitate the problem solving skills of the students to be intertwined with the acquired knowledge learned throughout the year. Therefore, with a couple of months writing it out and detailing the logistics, it was put into action and lasted the last four weeks of the school year. This year, with our second go at it, we narrowed the scope a bit to shorten the length down to a more manageable three week lesson. It is a huge undertaking, but also produces such a positive experience for the students, as well as fantastic promotion of our Academy! Our first year landed us in the Orange County Register, and also attracted the interest and visitation of school board members and curious faculty.
