Garden City High School students become detectives in second Collaborative Community Friday
Garden City High School students in Ms. Bridget Kelly’s and Mr. Charles Hager’s classes spent Feb. 28 searching for clues to solve a mystery. The engaging, hands-on learning experience was just another Collaborative Community Friday event the students completed together.
Collaborative Community Fridays, which were developed by Ms. Kelly, strive to create enriching learning experiences alongside unique social opportunities for all students. With Mr. Hager's science class learning about genetics, the pair designed a lesson incorporating key concepts from their unit while aligning with Ms. Kelly’s students’ needs.
During this session, the students were divided into four mock "detective squads" with the task of working together to solve the crime of the missing school mascot uniform. The groups analyzed various clues left behind at the scene and compared them to fake DNA samples from six different teacher subjects. By the end of the lesson, each group successfully solved the mystery, identifying the "suspect" and sharing their findings.
“It was truly inspiring to see all of our students collaborating, especially on a subject that is often so complex and challenging,” said Ms. Kelly. “The individualized materials allowed every student to actively participate, fostering an inclusive learning environment where they could support one another. Watching them engage, problem-solve, and work toward a shared goal made the experience both meaningful and fun for everyone involved."
Collaborative Community Fridays take place monthly in different classrooms, providing Ms. Kelly’s students and their peers with regular opportunities to engage in meaningful, interdisciplinary activities.
