legal news PHOTOS by cynthia price
by Cynthia Price
Legal News
A lively and interested group of students at Cesar Chavez Elementary learned about constitutional rights by participation on Friday, Sept. 16, when the Grand Rapids Bar Association celebrated Constitution Day with the Grand Rapids Public Schools.
The actual Constitution Day is Sept. 17, commemorating the signing of the U.S. Constitution by 39 men in 1787, but many celebrated Friday when school was in session.
A student from Michigan State University Law School, Dave Eberle, joined Joy Fossel, the Varnum attorney who works so well with youth of all ages, at Sung Pak’s Cesar Chavez Elementary class. The two were part of a team of lawyers and law students who visited 55 GRPS?classrooms, reaching approximately 1300 students.
Fossel recreated the participatory trial experience detailed in the Grand Rapids Legal News 7/29/16, where learners play the parts of a judge, attorneys, a defendant, and witnesses in a jury trial about an alleged shoplifting incident.
Fossel frequently pointed out the aspects of the trial that protected the defendant’s rights, dovetailing with the Constitution.
Many of the children — who seemed very excited about their chance to play a part in something that resembled what they had seen on TV — got fully immersed in their characters. The “defense attorney” asked questions aggressively, confronting the “witnesses” who said bad things about his client.
“They would make great lawyers,” Fossel commented. “But it seems like they’d also be really good for drama class in high school.”
Others in the classroom, guided by their teacher, laughed along, as well as calling out “Can’t hear you” when one of their classmates spoke barely above a whisper.
The fairly small class was divided into two groups for jury deliberations. As she usually does in this exercise, Fossel told one of the groups that the defendant had already been accused of shoplifting several times before, though never convicted.
That jury found him guilty, while the other did not.
The Managing Partners Diversity Collaborative, Grand Rapids Bar Association and Grand Rapids Public Schools partnered to give teachers Constitution Day educational packets in advance, in keeping with the law requiring schools that receive federal money to educate their students about the Constitution on or around Sept. 17.
“The materials... include pamphlets that contain an interactive website for students to visit, as well as lesson plans for teachers,” said Kimberly Coleman, GRBA Executive Director. Each student received the informational pamphlet.
More materials are available at constitutionday.com, including a page with links to Constitutional fact websites.
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