Twenty young people spent this week studying forensic science, crime scene investigation and evidence collection at the Commonwealth’s Attorney’s office’s first forensics camp.

Most of the young teens reported their favorite part of the camp was when they actually got to investigate and collect evidence at a mock crime scene.

The students also learned about the different kinds of evidence and heard from prosecutors about how evidence is used in trials. The camp was led by evidence technicians from the Isle of Wight County Sheriff’s Office, one of whom formerly worked in Suffolk.

Most of the campers signed up because they are interested in forensic science, they said.

“I’m kind of interested in science, and I thought it would benefit me to learn about it,” said Harrison Storms, a 12-year-old rising eighth-grader at King’s Fork Middle School. “My favorite thing I learned was the different kinds of evidence, like how you can find a fingerprint and use it to find a suspect.”

Some campers, though, like 12-year-old Amiah McCoy, couldn’t pick just one favorite part of the camp.

“I enjoyed everything,” she said.

Several of the students, like rising King’s Fork seventh-grader Haley Eley, said they now are considering forensic science as a career, although 12-year-old Alex Maury can’t decide between that and structural engineering, and fellow camper DeAsia Wilson said she might also want to be a lawyer.

But Lelia Bagbey, a 13-year-old rising eighth-grader at King’s Fork, has her mind made up.

“I want to be a forensic scientist when I grow up,” she said. “I thought it would be good to see how the field people do it.”

Commonwealth’s Attorney Phil Ferguson said the campers learned skills that will help them in their academic pursuits as well, such as teamwork and attention to detail.

Participant Trayshawn Batchelor confirmed that.

“The stuff I learned will benefit me in school, like note-taking,” he said, adding he is not yet sure whether he wants to pursue forensic science as a career. “I’m still thinking about it, but it’s definitely an option.”

The camp had such high demand, Commonwealth’s Attorney Phil Ferguson said, that his office plans to hold another in August to allow those who could not get into this camp to do the next one. He also hopes to be able to accommodate a few new applicants in that camp.

“It’s our hope and goal to repeat this on an annual basis,” he said.