Identification Night - Let's Try This Again

Post date: Mar 29, 2013 2:02:14 AM

Paradise Valley High School Biotechnology HOSA and Forensics Club ended the month of February with the return of Identification Night: a night where parents could pay twelve dollars to have their children’s fingerprints and DNA collected, in the case that some unfortunate event ever called for this information. Our previous event had been a disappointment, with a measly few people who showed up for the event. We found the problem to have been that the Paradise Valley Unified School District had not advertised the night to the middle schools as promised, accounting for the poor turn out. So, our two clubs agreed to reschedule the night and try again. This time the night would be properly advertised, and we expected many more people to show up.

The night of the PVHS open house, February 28th, finally came and at four in the afternoon members from both clubs assembled in the CREST Presentation Hall to prepare for the night’s event. A front table sat alongside a grouping of tables where children could draw while they waited. Behind this arrangement, booths were set up in a half ellipse, so that children would travel from sign-in and fingerprinting to the HOSA manned station where buccal swab, which is a swab to the inside of the cheek to collect cheek cells and DNA, was performed. The collected sample was then placed in a sterile container until needed.

Leading up to the Identification Night, flyers had been posted, elementary schools had been informed, and announcements went out. Understandably, both clubs were confident in a higher success rate than the night’s predecessor. However, despite our endeavors, the outcome was just as poor, if not worse, than the previous night. The event lasted from 4:30 to 7:00 p.m., throughout the open house, but for the entire duration of the time only two families showed. Though no one was quick to overlook the value of these two customers, the lack of prosperity lead to disheartened members and a loss of money.

Though some members believe the event to have been a waste of time and effort, it helped both clubs to see that something other than the communication error with PVUSD was at fault. In the past, Identification Nights have been largely successful, with over fifty people at a single event. Factors, such as the event’s location and cost, will be evaluated before next year’s HOSA and Forensics Club try hosting a similar Identification Night.

-Tristan Neal, Biotechnology HOSA Reporter