CSI-STAC: Middle Schoolers Do Forensics At Summer Camp

SPARKILL, NY — These 75 middle school students at St. Thomas Aquinas College have spent their summer vacation analyzing blood spatter, processing fingerprints, collecting evidence, identifying suspects and a variety of other crime scene investigation pursuits.

What you might call CSI-STAC is just part of the course work in an innovative summer studies camp program for highly motivated students from around the region who are at at St. Thomas Aquinas College (STAC) in Sparkill.

The STAC Summer STEAM program aims to develop in students the 21st century version of problem solving, teamwork, collaboration and communication by making classroom work in science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics (STEAM) stimulating, timely and engaging, according to Dr. Suzanne Reynolds, assistant dean of STAC’s School of Education and director of the STAC Summer STEAM program.

Orange and Rockland Utilities, Inc. has donated $50,000 to St. Thomas Aquinas College (STAC) to help fund this program over the next two years. O&R also donated $50,000 to support the program through 2017 and 2018.

“We view the elements of this program as access points for guiding student inquiry, dialogue and critical thinking,” Dr. Reynolds said. “The end results are students who take thoughtful risks, engage in experiential learning, persist in problem solving, embrace collaboration and work through the creative process.”

In addition to forensics study, other courses in the program include innovative hands-on studies in drone and robotics operation, virtual reality development, mathematics and art. A new course features developing apps, where students will gain hands-on experience by working with Apple’s Software Development Kit (SDK) for iOS and building custom apps for Apple’s best-selling devices.

The STAC program began in 2012 with 26 students recruited from public and parochial schools in Rockland, northern Bergen and Southern Westchester counties. The program is offered to students entering grades six, seven and eight, meaning students who range in age from 11 to 13 years old.