Weekly roundup: Students investigate simulated crime in CSI program, Academic Decathlon team prepares for state final, and more

Twenty students from Thurston Middle School in Laguna Beach spent an afternoon this week aboard the Ocean Institute’s Pilgrim ship in Dan Point Harbor as they worked to solve a crime.

Education News title cardThe staged scenario, called “Roanoke Murder and the Lost Colony,” was part of a program aimed at encouraging more students to pursue careers in forensic science.

The Orange County Register chronicled the students’ work as they donned full forensic suits to gather evidence and conducted the simulated investigation of the grizzly crime.

Throughout the exercise, Orange County Sheriff deputies, divers and investigators helped walk the students through their investigation.

“It’s pretty cool how some on the team search the area around the body and another part of the team goes down to get the body,” student Presley Cortez told the Register.

Here are some other news stories from across the region for the week ending March 23.

  • The annual CHEP Expo this week showcased the achievements of students enrolled in OCDE’s Community Home Education Program. The event also featured artwork, along with music and dance performances.
  • The Woodbridge High Academic Decathlon team, known as “The Magnificent Seven,” will compete this weekend in the California Academic Decathlon in Sacramento. In fact, Woodbridge is one of five qualifying squads from Orange County.
  • Nearly three-fourths of U.S. teachers do not want to carry guns in school, and they overwhelmingly favor gun control measures over security steps meant to “harden” schools, according to a new Gallup poll.
  • California in recent years has arguably become the best state in the nation at holding school districts accountable for their suspension rates — but a number of districts are still lagging considerably when it comes to addressing suspension disparities among specific groups of students, according to a new statewide report.
  • After a lengthy period of uncertainty surrounding the lack of qualified teachers in California, the Commission on Teacher Credentialing reported an overall upsurge over a five-year period.

This is the part where we encourage you to keep up with local education news stories by bookmarking the OCDE Newsroomsubscribing for emailed updates or following us on FacebookTwitter or Instagram.