PEORIA, Ill. (AP) - Abby Kozinski likes watching crime shows and kind of digs the whole forensic science thing, but that bone saw?
Well, that was a bit much for the Dunlap High School senior.
“That kind of freaked me out,” she said, surrounded by a group of her classmates who spent an afternoon at the Peoria County Coroner’s Office. The visit was part of a daylong experience to see how their classwork relates to careers in the real world. They spent the morning at the Peoria County Sheriff’s Office, where they watched crime scene technicians work up fingerprints.
Coroner Jamie Harwood and his deputy coroner, Jeff Howard, went through the workings of their office as well as how death investigations and autopsies work. Dunlap High School teacher Mary Ann Henry came up with the idea a few years ago.
“We want them to see the practical applications from what they are learning in the classroom as it relates to jobs after school,” she said.
Questions from students ranged from what was the most bizarre case to how does one run for office. Harwood gave frank answers on both and added a bit of humor to the hour-long visit. He quipped he watched a YouTube video to learn how to run for office and said he wasn’t the best student in high school.
“So, see, you can do anything if you put your mind to it,” he joked.
But the students also wanted to know what it is like to talk to a family after a person has died. Harwood said you need to be compassionate and understanding.
“If you don’t like dealing with people, then this isn’t a job for you,” he said. Later, he implored them to be careful with their choices and highlighted that point with a story about a recent drug overdose.
“You think it can’t happen to you, but it can, and then I have to tell your parents,” he said.
Alexis Loser and Chris Dorbeck, both seniors, enjoyed the field trip. Dorbeck might go into a career in law enforcement and isn’t necessarily looking at forensics, but he said the class and the tour gives a good perspective. Loser agreed
And Kozinski? She enjoyed the visit, but it doesn’t appear a job at the coroner’s office is in her future.
___
Source: (Peoria) Journal Star, https://bit.ly/2lOc9LD
___
Information from: Journal Star, https://pjstar.com
Please read our comment policy before commenting.