CSI, Drown Show, K-9's and More!

Last Wednesday, unfortunately, was our last day out exploring Highlands County. It was Government Day and we went to the county courthouse, jail, and South Florida State College. We started off the day at the county courthouse and had many different people talk to us. We had Bob Germaine talk about Clerk of Courts and Judge Estrada talked to us about what it is like being a judge. Kathy Perez from the Crime Scenes Investigation (CSI) Unit shared with us what they do at a crime scene and I learned a lot of interesting information about that job. Sheriff Blackman also spoke to us about his job and the sheriff department. After the courthouse, we went outside and saw a cool SWAT team demonstration. It was really neat to see their equipment and how they use it. We even got to go inside the vehicle they use! Next, we went to the county jail, which was a new experience for me. We saw how the jail system works and then went outside to see a K-9 demonstration. The K-9s were adorable and awesome to see! We saw how the dogs would act in a real life situation with a house burglary and I thought it was really impressive. Our last stop of the day was South Florida State College. We got to see a mind-blowing chemistry magic show with a hilarious professor from the college. Then we got to see how nursing students at the college did real life simulations to practice their knowledge. The very last thing we did was see a drone show, which was pretty cool. Before ending the day, the Mason G Smoak students and I sat down and discussed our favorite days from our outings. We talked about what we can change for the upcoming students next year and what we have learned through this amazing program. I am so blessed to have been a part of this program. I have learned so much about the businesses in our community, gained new experiences, and made new friendships. I am looking forward to our grocery race coming up and year 2 of the Mason G Smoak Program!