The students' hands-on lesson in solving crime is exactly the kind of experience Bethany Christian Schools' new J-Term (short for January-Term) is built for. Bethany Christian Schools students are beginning their second week of the new initiative, where high school students take one all-day class in a fun, unusual subject for two weeks. Middle schools students have J-Term as well, but they have two half-day classes each day for the two weeks.

Course offerings range from the forensic science class to a course on winter sports, a cooking class and a class about Legos. The school emphasizes curriculum requirements but allows students to learn in a natural exploration mode, said guidance counselor Jim Buller.

"For some, it's a way to take a required course and get it in an untraditional setting," he said, adding that others will use J-Term as a way to do a fun activity they wouldn't get to do otherwise.

Buller said Bethany Christian Schools is in a three-year process of evaluating the school and its programming, and said adding J-Term is one of the highest profile changes it has made. The idea came when administrators observed some private schools in the Indianapolis area, he said.

Bethany Christian Schools previously offered a week-long "interterm," with classes of similar themes. But students didn't get credit for those courses, so the district made the classes more rigorous and made them longer, so they would be the equivalent of a semester of learning.

Junior Benjamin Miller, 16, a student in Swartzendruber's forensic science class, said he chose the forensics class because it sounded fun. He said having one class all day, every day can get old, but said the interactive lessons keep it interesting.

Swartzendruber agreed that the all-day format can be challenging for the students sometimes, but hands-on activities keep the students engaged. Also, it allows teachers to plan field trips without worrying about what other classes the students will miss.

In forensic science, the students have already taken one field trip to the Goshen College chemistry department to work on arson analysis. They'll also take a trip to the Indiana State Police crime lab in Indianapolis, a tour of the morgue at Goshen General Hospital and another trip to Goshen College. The county coroner will also speak to the class, Swartzendruber said.

"If I was to lecture all day, it wouldn't work," he said.

The school encourages teachers to take field trips, especially the second week, Buller said. That week, all athletics and musical practices are canceled to make time for the trips.

Buller said Bethany Christian Schools determined the course listing by asking teachers what they'd like to teach and then asking students what they'd like to take. Because of that, he said, all the courses are pretty popular.

He said the schools will give a survey after the term is complete, but said most have expressed positive attitudes so far. He said the course list will probably evolve each year.

J-TERM COURSES

HIGH SCHOOL:

* Brazilian Culture (includes a trip to the Brazilian community in Chicago with dinner at a Brazilian steakhouse, Fogo de Chão)

* Human Behavior (includes a trip to University Park Mall to test theories)

* Winter Sports (includes a trip to Michigan to play winter sports and attend a hockey game in Detroit)

* Civil Rights in Mississippi (includes a week-long trip to Noxubee County, Miss.)

* Ceramics I (includes a trip to the Art Institute of Chicago and other galleries and studios)

* Comparative Mythology (includes a trip to the Eiteljorg Museum in Indianapolis)

* Forensic Science (includes a trip to the Indiana State Police crime lab in Indianapolis)

* Watercolor Painting (includes a trip to the Art Institute of Chicago and other galleries and studios)

* Biking and Camping (includes a 250-mile bike trip to three northern Indiana state parks in June)

* New Testament

MIDDLE SCHOOL:

* The Fundamentals of Cooking

* Batik Textiles and Fabric Art

* The Mystery Behind the Game

* Legoland

* Creating Drama (includes a trip to a local theater)

* Life on the Frontier

* Cars (includes a trip to a car museum)