This fall at least a dozen crimes were committed at The Latin School. A priceless portrait of school founder Mabel Slade Vickery disappeared, expensive audiovisual equipment was stolen, and several popular former faculty members were found murdered.

While most students and faculty were stumped, sixth grade sleuths— putting their knowledge of math, science, and English to use—set to work on finding the perpetrators.

These ghastly happenings in the Middle/Upper school building were part of the interdisciplinary sixth grade mystery unit—one of the highlights of the school year for the new Middle Schoolers.

Students spent a morning in early September gathering and recording clues, including finger prints and footprints, hairs, and mysterious powders. For the next month they studied their evidence using recently learned skills such as mapping, scientific analysis, computer research, image processing, and critical thinking. They also kept in mind the twists and turns of plots in mystery novels they had read over the summer and in class.



Through their hard work, the students discovered that faculty member Jane Donovan coveted the Mabel Slade Vickery portrait because it resembles her grandmother, new librarian Becky Ballard stole the LCD projector because she had accidentally broken it during training, that Latin teacher Stuart Cushman murdered Chinese Teacher Elizabeth Keegan (who is on leave during the 2004-05 school year) because he believed only Latin should be taught at the school, and that Performing Arts Department Chair Michael Teolis accidentally killed former music teacher Matt Dix during a scuffle that caused Mr. Dix to fall down the stairs and hit his head.

In addition to providing a valuable, hands-on learning experience, the mystery unit was a fun way for the new sixth graders to get to know their peers through teamwork. It also provided them with a unique opportunity to see their teachers at their most diabolical!

© 2008 The Latin School of Chicago

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