03 Mar KHS Law and Public Safety students earn top two spots in CSI competition

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YUMA — Kofa High School’s Law and Public Safety program attended the annual Forensic Science Day hosted by Grand Canyon University on Feb. 7, 2023.
Kofa finished placed first and second place in the Crime Scene Investigation (CSI) competition against schools around the state of Arizona. The first-place team consisted of Emily Leon Zuniga and Cayla Lloyd, while a team of Yoselyn Gonzalez, Irene Garcia, and Hunter Daniels earned second place.
The competition required students to work in teams of 1-3 students to fully investigate a crime scene. The crime scene included a body surrounded by physical, biological and trace evidence. The teams studied the scene and determined a cause of death. Once students examined the scene, they had to write a detailed report with a factual basis of how the victim died. Finally, they were required to describe what lab work would still be needed with the evidence collected.
“Placing first place was absolutely incredible,” KHS junior Emily Leon Zuniga said. “My team and I worked really hard on trying to find out what happened at the scene. When we found out, we wanted first we were extremely happy and excited that we solved the crime scene that was given to us. My team and I would gladly recommend other students to try it out because it is truly an incredible experience to participate in.”
More than 1,100 students from more than 40 Arizona schools were in attendance for the event.
“It was amazing to be a part of the GCU Forensic Day and to have that experience,” KHS junior Irene Garcia said. “I think the event was really fun, especially being able to learn with so many hands-on activities. Being a part of the Crime Scene Investigation competition was lots of fun being able to work with your team and being able to use what we have learned throughout the year in class to try and solve the crime scene.”
KHS Law and Public Safety teacher Eric Frost added: “It was amazing to see my students win first and second place this year in the Crime Scene Competition. I watched their hard work and dedication towards learning forensic science and crime scene investigation payoff. Anytime you can see your students build self confidence and excitement towards their potential career, it is a blessing.”
GCU Forensic Science Day is an annual event where high school juniors, seniors, and community college students learn about the field of forensic science. Students participate in various activities such as fingerprint and handwriting analysis, hear from forensic science experts, observe blood spatter reconstruction, and much more.