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Diligently jotting down clues, Eric Arnett ‘26 collects data on a shared spreadsheet alongside his group. As the lead investigator, Arnett wrote down his group’s findings as they observed the scene. “I liked talking with my group and trying to find out who did it,” Arnett said. “Putting [the clues] together was pretty awesome.”
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Unfolding hidden details, Colton Case ‘26 uses a magnifying glass to look for the murder weapon inside a fake bush. Every year, new props such as a murder weapon are added to elevate the lab, allowing the experiment to feel even more realistic for the students. “We examined the crime scene and then we walked through all the detective notes,” Case said. “We looked at the footprints and the culprits, and just put all the pieces together to find out who [the killer] was.”
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Hunting for a closer look, Landeyn Vallery ‘26 observes lipstick stains on a glass, questioning to whom they belong. Small clues were spread throughout the crime scene for students to unveil, eventually leading them to discover who the murderer was. Other clues provided, included vegan hummus, cigarettes, and chicken nuggets.
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Eager to explain his suspicions, Caleb Butz ‘26 gestures at the victim for his group to see. Assigned to discover the killer, students used deductive reasoning and eyewitness skills to avoid missing important clues. “It was nice for a group project,” Butz said. “[Since] it’s much more interactive, it’s much more fun to investigate and look for context clues.”
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Evaluating the evidence, Luke Carpenter ‘26 measures the length of a foot print in the Forensics lab. The students were given a mold of each suspect’s footprint with the task of figuring out their shoe siz, then comparing the sizes to those at the crime scene.
With a sinister start, Forensics classes jumped into an action-packed year by inspecting a fake picnic murder scene, set up by Forensics teachers Ms. Avni Kantawala and Ms. Shawn Vargas. Students used deductive reasoning skills and real-life props and evidence to solve the makeshift mystery case from Wednesday, Aug. 20 to Monday, Aug. 25.
Prior to the hands-on murder scene, students were learning eyewitness skills in their classes. In the lab, students received information about all the witnesses involved, including their alibis, medical issues, and any additional information that could be deemed useful. Within the scene, students had to pay attention to small details in order to solve the mystery.
“We got some information in the classroom on our laptops and we came out here to the mock crime scene,” Eric Arnett ‘26 said. “There was a bunch of evidence you had to look at and take in. [You] use everything you can to try to connect the dots and solve the murder.”
Students collaborated with their table groups, splitting the work into four jobs. One student was the artist and had to draw a labeled picture of the crime scene. Two students were the investigators, and they collected the evidence on a chart to sort through. The last student in the group was the photographer, and they documented photos of the crime scene. Each group strategized to find a system that worked best to help their specific group solve the case.
“We figured out [the murderer] by using clues like process of elimination,” Caleb Butz ‘26 said. “We figured out one of the girls doesn’t wear lipstick, so if there’s lipstick on the glass, we take her out [of our suspect list]. One of them’s vegan, so we [took] her out [of our suspect list] too.”
While the crime scene is a timeless Forensics tradition, it evolves every year. Ms. Kantawala and Ms. Vargas continuously add new assets to the scene to not only make the mystery more challenging, but also more fun for students to solve and grow.
“Every year, we get more props to make the scene look more realistic and developed,” Ms. Kantawala said. “For example, the fake weapons are new. We got new food to make it more realistic, and we also change up the suspects and their info every year to make it more realistic.”
Presenting students with real-life investigative experience, this lab is a fun introduction to the world of forensics, where deductive reasoning meets observational analysis.
“Forensics is going to be my favorite class,” Arnett said. “I’m looking forward to the drunk driving case with the golf cart.”
![Intensely concentrated, seniors Ari June, Christine Kim, and Sahana Suryanarayan collectively paint a portrait of Charli XCX's face. While painting, they shared stories about past experiences and bonded over similar interests in music. "I've definitely grown as a collaborator because in NAHS [National Art Honor Society], you're all growing together as artists and collaborators," Suryanarayan said. "The portrait helped me make room for others while painting."](https://westwoodhorizon.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Edit_2025-09-02_NAHSMeeting_SophiaCortes-4-1200x800.jpg)
