Entering classroom 5100, there’s an array of forensic lab equipment displayed throughout the desks in preparation for fingerprint analysis. As students walk to their table groups, Forensic Science and Aquatic Biology teacher Cydney Tinsley happily greets her students and begins explaining the daily agenda.

Cydney Tinsley began teaching at Rock Canyon three years ago and previously taught eighth-grade science at a charter school in Aurora.

Before becoming a teacher, she studied biology and chemistry at Michigan State University (MSU) and worked in a genetics lab, a microbiology lab and as a surgical assistant in a dermatology firm. She also loves to bake and considers herself a great baker.

Tinsley teaches two courses, Forensic Science and Aquatic Biology.

“Forensic Science is where we can take science and law and combine them together, which is really fun. We get to take the principles of biology, chemistry and physics to prove how we know who did [a crime] and how we can prove it,” Tinsley said. “Aquatic Biology is where we look at everything ocean-based. We talk about other bodies of water but mainly focus on the ocean. We study ocean geography and evolution, vertebrates and invertebrates, myths and legends, all the fun stuff around the ocean.”

Tinsley strives to include interactive projects for her students to complete. Whether that be through dissecting frogs or finishing a blood lab, her students take part in class activities frequently.

“I have a pretty great job. I like just getting to be goofy. I get to teach classes where we get to be goofy and relaxed and I really like that,” Tinsley said. “It’s not as serious and I feel like students can come in and still have to do the work, but I don’t feel like it’s as stressful. I like that kind of environment.”

Throughout the year, Tinsley has made efforts to improve school safety. She applied for the Rock Canyon Community Alliance (RCCA) grant and received funding to build a “Stop Bleeding Kit” for each school pod. The kits include medical supplies such as compressed gauze, tourniquets, shears and more.

“I applied for the grant because all of our first aid kits are at the front office so I got traumatic bleeding kits for all the pods to be more prepared in case of an emergency,” Tinsley said. “Emergencies aren’t just school shootings, which is what a lot of people tend to believe because that’s what we’ve seen in the media. Beakers explode because they get too hot or could fall and cut someone. Or in science class, you use a scalpel and could accidentally cut yourself. I just wanted a faster way to respond in that instance.”

Being a teacher, Tinsley hears a lot of interesting things from her students. She plans on writing a book from a document she keeps of anonymous quotes she hears in her classes.

“I don’t use names or put the names of the students in my document, it’s just the things that they say. Everything is 100% out of context, right? It’s just like if they said something that cracked me up, I just add it to my list. Half the time no one knows that I heard it. I’m going to turn it into a book and try to get it published. It’ll be awesome,” Tinsley said.

Forensic Science is currently only a semester-long course, but Tinsley plans to change that. She applied for her Career and Technical Education (CTE) license this year, and hopes to make it a year-long subject.

Getting approved includes necessary involvement from the state. Tinsley has put in over 1000 hours into Forensic Science and must prove she has enough content knowledge to teach at a college level on the subject.

“I majored in Biology with a concentration in microbiology, and then a minor in chemistry, but I worked really really hard to make myself super knowledgeable on [Forensic Science]. I read full textbooks, talked with people in the field, and used a lot of online resources to help me create a curriculum that is realistic and accurate,” Tinsley said.