Move over, 007. Young super-sleuths practice tricks of the trade at Secret Agent Lab

“We made ours foolproof,” said fifth grader Lana Haynes in reference to the elaborate security system she and her crime-fighting teammates devised in a game to thwart prospective ‘jewel’ thieves. 

It was all part of a lesson on home security whereby each team worked to stump the others with Rube Goldberg-like burglar alarms they constructed from fishing line, jingle bells, tape and other odds and ends. 

Armed with knowledge gained from the exercise, Collins Elementary School sixth grader Noah Elkins expressed his certainty that a recent break-in on his street could have easily been prevented by simply locking doors and tucking valuables out of sight. 

Haynes and Elkins were among 18 children – age 5 through 12 – who attended the weeklong Secret Agent Lab science camp conducted at Utica Community Schools’ Velocity Jr. Center in August.

The camp enabled the students to imagine being detectives as they explored the basics of crime lab science. In addition to surveillance and security techniques, they honed their powers of observation while gathering and analyzing evidence, much like professional crime scene investigators. 

They had opportunities to experiment with metal detectors and night vision, as well as learn to decipher secret code and even create their own edible secret messages. Critical thinking, memory recall and reconstructing how a crime may have happened were also part of the skill-building activities. 

Nothing got past the young sleuths, especially when they wore their cool reverse-mirrored ‘spyglasses’ (pictured) to observe what was going on behind them – kind of like having eyes in the back of their heads!

District teacher Catherine Haynes, who led the learning camp designed by Mad Science/Detroit, said the program’s purpose is to get kids excited about science and forensics. “It’s a mix of learning and fun,” she added. “I love seeing the excitement in their faces when they grasp a clever new concept or figure out a whodunit.”

Messmore Elementary second grader Katie Tharrett (code name: Agent Blue) had another reason for loving the camp. “I like the stuff we get to take home and play with.” Especially the bright yellow caution tape she confessed using to keep her younger brother Joey out of her room! 

While only a few of the children envisioned themselves as future law enforcement officers or forensic specialists, nearly everyone’s hand shot up in answer to whether they enjoyed solving mysteries and fighting imaginary criminals.

“I love learning science!” declared first grader Viviene Kosal, who had also attended the NASA space camp at Velocity Jr. this summer. Her enthusiastic testimony said it best.

Velocity Jr. is a partnership involving Utica Community Schools, the City of Sterling Heights and Macomb Community College to promote science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education. 

Rigorous K-12 STEM education is a priority in UCS, where our mission is to create globally competitive graduates.