The field of forensic science is growing rapidly with an expected growth of 13% within the next eight years. We currently have Shelly Reathaford and Donald Sapp teaching six forensic science courses here at Carolina Forest.
In the class, students learn about the human body, cold cases, toxicology, and many more thought-provoking topics.
This semester, Reathaford plans to study burn patterns during October. Students will make a haunted house out of things like popsicle sticks. While under the supervision of the Horry County Fire Department, students will set the house ablaze. Once the fire is extinguished, they will study the patterns and play the job of an arson investigator.
Forensic science is heavily based on labs and experiments to allow visual learning.
“The class is very engaging and keeps student’s attention using real-life scenarios and examples,” stated Reathaford.
Reathaford makes the classroom very interactive. In previous years, the class has made blood spatter posters to study the methods of detecting how a spatter was created.
Joe Ardizzone, a senior, stated “I loved the interactive environment the class had. I was worried I wouldn’t be able to really be interested in the class, but I was captivated the whole semester by the content we were learning.”
The course also brings South Carolina solicitor, Jimmy Richardson, to talk to the students about his position and role in the court and how he affects different cases. Richardson recalls and tells students of his cases that he had a major role in the outcome.
“I highly recommend this class to other students at Carolina Forest, even people who are unsure if they would like the class- because I was skeptical at first, too,” said Ardizzone.
