A group of youngsters tackled a DNA mystery this week as part of a summer camp focused on science, arts and athletics at Allen Community College.
Each student was given a picture of a puppy, and had to match corresponding letters that represented DNA.
Whose puppy was it?
When the mystery was solved, Haidyn Desmarteau found herself under the microscope.
“It was me. I had the puppy,” she said.
It was her favorite part of the week.
“I really like biology. I like learning about DNA.”
The puppy mystery was just one of several activities students enjoyed in the weeklong summer camp. ACC instructors developed simple, fun exercises designed to teach students about the world around them.
Organizer Beth Toland said she was glad to bring students back to ACC for summer camp after it was canceled the past two years because of the COVID-19 pandemic. There was no particular theme for the camp she said, other than offering an educational adventure.
The camp offers a way to introduce students to scientific studies and reinforce skills during summer break, Toland said. 
Students seemed to especially enjoy the activities offered by Sally Kittrell, biological sciences instructor. Many of her activities were centered on solving a mystery.
In addition to the puppy DNA question on Tuesday, she posed a very different scenario for Wednesday.
“Living things need things to survive,” she explained. “We need material to build our cells, so that’s when we start to think about, ‘What’s in my food?’”
She presented the scenario: A woman went to a restaurant to eat breakfast and got sick. She has a disease that doesn’t allow her to eat lipids, which include such things as butter, cheese and oil.
“We need to test our food and find out what made her sick.”
