Crime solved at Academy for Excellence

The disappearance of Concordia’s reference librarian, Tom Krenzke, and an arson attempt at Link Library were the puzzles more than 50 academically gifted middle school students worked to solve at Concordia’s annual Academy for Excellence.

Everyone was a suspect as the students collected clues and interrogated Concordia’s president, vice-presidents, professors, staff, students and anyone else who may have been on campus during the event.

The amateur detectives attended classroom and lab sessions conducted by Concordia professors to help them solve the crime. They learned what chemicals an arsonist may use and how to identify them, so they could match them to chemicals they found at the crime scenes. They also had workshops about decoding messages and determining the height of a criminal based on footprints found at a crime scene.

After their work in the field and in the classroom, the student teams pulled together their best cases for an indictment and then presented their conclusions at the closing banquet. The green team, Delaney Freese, Bridget DeKam, Mackenzie Pucket, Sarah Meyer and Tessa Steinkraus, made the best case, indicting Dr. Ron Bork, dean of the College of Education. Bork’s motive? He wanted to turn Link Library into a museum for his St. Louis Cardinals memorabilia, but those pesky librarians kept getting in his way.

Each participating student received an Academy for Excellence medallion to commemorate the special day. 

While their children were solving the crime, parents were given an overview of the college selection process and financing a university education and had a chance to tour the campus.

The attending middle school students are from private and parochial schools in Nebraska, Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Iowa, Minnesota and South Dakota.

Academy of Excellence inductees:

Colorado

Sophia Helmkamp, Parker, Colo., Trinity Lutheran, Franktown, Colo.

Max Hostetter, Denver, Colo., St. John's Lutheran School, Denver, Colo.

Bennett Nelson, Johnstown, Colo., Immanuel Lutheran School, Loveland, Colo.

Iowa 

Matthew Voss, Atkins, Iowa, Central Lutheran School, Newhall, Iowa

Kansas 

Hanna Bott, Palmer, Kan., Linn Lutheran School Association, Linn, Kan.

Missouri 

Lauren Baalman, Cole Camp, Mo., Lutheran School Association, Cole Camp, Mo.

Cole Duenckel, Jefferson City, Mo., Immanuel Lutheran School, Jefferson City, Mo.

Jenna Fackler, Florissant, Mo., Grace Chapel Lutheran School, St. Louis, Mo.

Kylie Limback, Concordia, Mo., Trinity Lutheran, Alma, Mo.

Kelly Rakow, Lohman, Mo., Trinity Lutheran School, Jefferson City, Mo.

Emma Sobetski, Gower, Mo., Cathedral School & ECC, St. Joseph, Mo.

Erin Warner, La Monte, Mo., St. Paul's Lutheran, Sedalia, Mo.

Amanda Wilson, Maryland Heights, Mo., Immanuel Lutheran, Olivette, Mo.

Nebraska

Christian Bartling, North Platte, Neb., Our Redeemer Lutheran School, North Platte, Neb.

Nathali Beltran, Lincoln, Neb., Blessed Sacrament School, Lincoln, Neb.

Alexa Bruick, Seward, Neb., St. John Lutheran School, Seward, Neb.

Kaitlyn Carraher, Primrose, Neb., Spalding Academy, Spalding, Neb.

Jordan Case, Lincoln, Neb., Parkview Christian School, Lincoln, Neb.

Dean Fleer, Pierce, Neb., Zion Lutheran, Pierce, Neb.

Delaney Freese, Omaha, Neb., St. Pius X / St. Leo School, Omaha, Neb.

Mia Hermanson, Lincoln, Neb., Lincoln Lutheran Middle/High School, Lincoln, Neb.

Benjamin Jahnke, Bancroft, Neb., St. Paul Lutheran, West Point, Neb.

Naomi Kirkvold, Omaha, Neb., St. Cecilia Cathedral School, Omaha, Neb.

Christian Leichty, Deshler, Neb., Deshler Lutheran School, Deshler, Neb.

Jakob Mach, Omaha, Neb., Sts. Peter & Paul School, Omaha, Neb.

Austin Maurer, Columbus, Neb., St. John's Lutheran School, Columbus, Neb.

Michelle Messbarger, Kearney, Neb., Kearney Catholic High School, Kearney, Neb.

Sarah Meyer, Norfolk, Neb., Christ Lutheran School, Norfolk, Neb.

Austin Mills, Madison, Neb., Trinity Lutheran School, Madison, Neb.

Morgan Payne, Utica, Neb., Our Redeemer Lutheran School, Staplehurst, Neb.

Allison Pokorny, Bellwood, Neb., Aquinas Middle School, David City, Neb.

Mackenzie Puckett, Grand Island, Neb., Trinity Lutheran, Grand Island, Neb.

Seth Schmacher, Petersburg, Neb., Pope John XXIII Central Catholic, Elgin, Neb.

Hannah Sealock, Columbus, Neb., Immanuel Lutheran School, Columbus, Neb.

Courtney Sheibal, Bellevue, Neb., St. Bernadette School, Omaha, Neb.

Tessa Steinkraus, Osmond, Neb., Zion Lutheran School, Plainview, Neb.

Isaac Sullivan , Albion, Neb., St. Michael's School, Albion, Neb.

Cassie Sunblade, Greenwood, Neb., Faith Lutheran School, Lincoln, Neb.

Caleb Utter, Utica, Neb., St. Paul Lutheran, Utica, Neb.

Kirsten Wagner, York, Neb., Emmanuel-Faith Lutheran School, York, Neb.

Jacquelyn Wright, Lincoln, Neb., St. Peter, Lincoln, Neb.

Bridget DeKam, Sioux Falls, S.D., Sioux Falls Lutheran School, Sioux Falls, S.D.

Chris Warneke, Hastings, Neb., Zion Lutheran, Hastings, Neb.