Nov 13, 2016 3 min read

WAYNESBURG – Middle and high school students from across Greene County saw first-hand the long-term effects of drug abuse, while also solving a simulated crime with Waynesburg University’s forensic science students.

Faith Musko, a Waynesburg U. instructor of forensic science, and about 15 of her students helped out Wednesday during a program for Greene County Communities that Care, a nonprofit organization that offers programming for at-risk youth.

“They had a great time and really got into it,” she said. “They got to be the detectives, the crime solvers.”

Musko said about 20 students, from 7th to 10th grades, got to solve an overdose case during the program that was held at West Sides, a youth group organization in West Waynesburg. Through four different learning stations, the students had to try to find where the overdose victim purchased the drugs, find the dealer and charge them with the crime.

“Not all students can learn from a classroom setting,” Musko said. “A lot of students are hands-on learners because it’s more personal to them.”

Musko said this is the second year her students helped out with the program. She said along with the crime solving, they also show the students before and after pictures of people who abuse drugs.

Last year, she said because of some of the things shown at the workshop, one of the students left, went home and called the police on her parents, who were allegedly shooting heroin after the student and the student’s siblings went to bed, Musko said.

“When children see or hear their friends talk about drugs, it’s usually ‘well, this is cool, you should try it,'” Musko said. “But they don’t always get to see the long-term effects of drug abuse.”

Musko said two of her senior students, Brandon Bosley and Morgan Newbauer, planned and designed the program and judged the competition for who would be able to put the drug dealer in jail. Bosley said it was a great opportunity to apply what he’s learned at Waynesburg into a real-life case for the children to solve.

“I think it was a really good opportunity to showcase what we learn and to be able to show all the kids what they’ll be able to do,” he said.

Lori Gregan, the event coordinator for Communities that Care, said the peer mentorship that the program offers to the young students is essential to their learning and developing goals and dreams for the future.

“The college kids really make it a point to get on their level,” she said. “It’s wonderful to have so many groups in the community come together for one good cause.”