Corporal Hailey Penney, a 2022 Windham High School (WHS) graduate now serving in the Maine Correctional Center’s Special Investigations and Intelligence Unit, returned to WHS as an expert in the annual Mock CSI event, a career-connected curriculum she participated in as a student four years ago.
“When will I ever use this after high school?” It’s a question that teachers have heard echo through classrooms for decades. From math equations to lab reports to literary analysis, students often wonder how today’s lessons will matter in their future. But what happens when learning moves beyond the classroom and into the real world—where students are exposed to the ways in which math, science, and English are not only useful but necessary to succeed?
To help students see the real-world value of their learning, Windham High School teachers John Ziegler (math) and Adrianne Shetenhelm (alternative education English) launched a hands-on interdisciplinary unit in 2016. The collaboration brought their classes together for a mock CSI experience that challenged students to apply math, writing, and critical-thinking skills to a simulated crime scene.
“As the project proved its impact over the next few years, the partnership grew to include Lauren Ruffner’s science, along with real-world support from the Windham Police Department and the Windham Fire Department, transforming the unit into a fully immersive learning experience,” Shetenhelm said.
This collaborative interdisciplinary unit continued again this year on Thursday, April 30, with the “crime” occurring in the parking lot at Windham Veterans Center. What made this year’s unit so special, though, was a meaningful turning point when one of Shetenhelm’s former students, Hailey Penney, a 2022 graduate, joined in on the collaboration.
“A full-circle moment for me this year was having Hailey back on the scene, four years after she was in the unit as a student; she came back as an expert,” Shetenhelm said.
Penney, now Corporal Penney, works for the Maine Correctional Center in the Special Investigations and Intelligence unit. She was invited to join mock CSI day to help the “rookie” detectives and evidence techs in refining their questioning techniques. She talked about her career pathway and how other students may follow a similar path if they are interested.
“After contacting the Maine Correctional Center to see if we could have someone speak to our students, it was clear that Hailey would be the perfect choice,” Shetenhelm said. “Hailey’s superiors spoke so highly of her capabilities and her speedy progression in the field. I was not surprised, and I am so proud of her.”
Corporal Penney said that she doesn’t remember being interested in law enforcement before the mock CSI event.
“I believe this is because of my prior lack of knowledge as to what law enforcement officers do. Being introduced to Windham Police Department Detective [Jason] Andrews and Sergeant [Seth] Fournier and learning about what they do in their careers significantly changed my perception. I was inspired to make a difference,” Penney said.
Penney added that being a part of a “real-life crime scene” during mock CSI day, gathering information and interviewing witnesses and suspects, sparked an interest in her that she didn’t know she had.
“Before this, I remember feeling as if I had not found my passion yet,” Penney said. “I am very grateful that I was involved with this event because I’m not sure if I would have considered a career in corrections or law enforcement otherwise.”
Being the expert now, Corporal Penney said she enjoyed talking with the students about her story and how her career became a passion.
“There were so many students who were engaged in this event and open to speaking with me. I gave two students Maine Department of Corrections challenge coins because I was very impressed with their thought processes and efforts that went into this year’s mock CSI unit,” Penney said. “My hope is that students were able to take something away from our conversations and have a better understanding of law enforcement, like I did when I experienced the CSI event.”
It’s Shetenhelm and Ziegler’s hope for their students, too. As a result, they plan to continue this annual career-connected learning as long as they can. To do so, they will begin to write a new “crime” this summer.
“Each year, we write a new narrative over the summer and recruit staff volunteers and actors in the fall,” Shetenhelm said. “We begin working with the Windham Police Department and other experts to ensure the story is realistic. By the fourth quarter, the unit begins—preparing English students to investigate and interview witnesses while math and science students learn to analyze evidence. On the day of the field trip, one question remains: Have we prepared them enough to connect the dots on their own, just as they must after graduation?”
Shetenhelm added that they hope to team-teach with Corporal Penney next year.
“I couldn’t be prouder and more honored to be a part of her story and to be working alongside her,” Shetenhelm expressed.
This story was submitted by Windham High School (RSU 14). To submit a good news story to the Maine DOE, please fill out the good news submission form.
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