New Rochelle students investigate 'crime scenes' for forensic class final exam
Eight New Rochelle police officers were on hand to make sure everything was by the book, as one wrong move could have compromised the evidence.
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Ever wondered what it takes to solve a homicide? What about a burglary?
On Tuesday, 200 New Rochelle High School students had to solve a crime - and get graded on it - because it was their final exam.
"The best day, I love this day," says Jacob Wong-Dunn, a New Rochelle High School forensics student.
That's not typically what you hear from students taking a final, but Mr. Rubins isn't your typical teacher.
"This teacher is the best because he makes us do real crime scenes, real investigations, police officers and get us prepared if we want to do it in the next stage," said Wong-Dunn.
There were eight different crime scenes, and eight different groups of students, with each person playing a different role.
"There's an administrator, investigator, photographer and evidence technician," explained forensics teacher Scott Rubins.
Eight New Rochelle police officers were on hand to make sure everything was by the book, as one wrong move could have compromised the evidence.
"It starts off with the securing of the scenes, evidence collecting, photographs," explained Detective Ray Andolina, one of the officers overseeing the groups.
"They get to prove and show off what they actually learned in the class and understood. Because they have to be able to apply what they've learned, not just memorize a bunch of facts," said Rubins.
"I loved being an investigator, I was a little nervous at first but I loved it," explained Wong-Dunn.
My favorite part was finding the evidence because it kind of felt like my favorite game, which is clue," said student Ally Oteri.
Mr. Rubins has been doing this for 24 years. Many of his students go on to careers in law enforcement, including about a dozen on the New Rochelle police force, and it seems he's still got it!
Now I think I might want to be a forensics investigator" said student Amaya Cruz.
