On Thursday, March 1, about forty students from Forensics H, A and R travelled to Quantico, Va. to tour the FBI Academy. Leaving at 6:30 a.m. and not returning until close to 8 p.m., the students had an enriching day learning about the country’s methods of investigation.

Upon arrival in Quantico, the students and three chaperones – Mr. Robert Angelo, Mrs. Erica DeMichele and Mrs. Elizabeth Scharff – listened to speakers present on the topics of perceptions of crimes and handwriting. The sessions were informative and highlighted much of what the students have learned thus far in class.

Next, they proceeded on a guided tour of the campus, stopping at locations such as Hogan’s Alley and a training gym, and viewing important artifacts like remnants from September 11, 2001 strike sites.

“Hogan’s Alley was the coolest part because it was a mock town [to train new agents]. I would have liked to see a mock mission there,” said Aaron Calder (‘12).

Prior to three final presentations, the students ate lunch in the cafeteria and mingled with the cafeteria staff. At this time they also were able to make purchases at the gift shop. Many students bought t-shirts and sweatshirts as souvenirs.

An officer presented the group with a bomb and drug sniffing dog and explained the importance of search animals. Following, speakers presented about anthropology and documentation.

“I think it’s really interesting how after 9/11, their main efforts were maintaining protection against terrorism…they almost redesigned their programs based on that,” said Shannon Smith (‘12).

Overall, the juniors, seniors and faculty that went on the trip truly enjoyed their experience. “We really enjoyed ourselves and we hope [the students] did too. We’ll give the program feedback for the future for improvement,” said Scharff. Scharff was the main organizer of the trip; her aunt and two uncles work at the FBI base as administrators.