Recently, a collaboration of CDHS classes and teachers created a unique hands-on learning experience for students. In a mock trial put on by Mr. Law’s Business Law students, Mr. Fisher’s Scholastic Journalism students had the opportunity practice their reporting skills while Mrs. Dunlavey’s AP Studio Art and Advanced Studio Art students served as the jury and sketch artists. All three teachers, as well as others, played roles in the trial. Read the story below written by the Scholastic Journalism students to learn more about the experience, and check out the artists’ sketches here: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1BPEztxyEOlbO-XJ8rDSqKD10-mIh-iviWaKZbhkkxJM/edit?usp=sharing
BUSINESS LAW HOLDS MOCK TRIAL
For two days, room E.136 at CDHS was transformed from a business classroom to a heated courtroom.
The mock trial case centered around an accident involving a possibly faulty grill that led the plaintiff, Cassie Dunlavey, to take the company’s CEO, Jon Fisher, to court for damages. Fisher was found guilty at the end of the fictional trial.
Mr. Chris Law, Central DeWitt’s business teacher, started the mock trial earlier this year and is the first teacher at Central DeWitt to do an activity like this with students.
Law spent 2-3 weeks on story development, and then 2 weeks of prep time with the lawyers. He also came up with all of the witness scripts and extra info by himself.
“I believe that the trial was fair and I did not disagree with the verdict,” Law stated in a follow-up interview.
Law stated that he was very proud of the students involved and is already thinking of trial ideas for next year's mock trial.
Most participants, both students and teachers, agreed that the mock trial was a beneficial experience. One of the lawyers in the trial, junior Owen Tucker, discussed how it was a fun experience and how he learned a lot.
“It was a great opportunity that allowed me to further understand the law field and improve my skills,” Tucker stated.
Morgan Burbach, a physical education teacher and witness in the trial, explained that she thought that this experience was awesome and out of the box, “It was a fun, educational, hands-on experience for you guys.”
History teacher Robert Schwartz had a similar opinion, stating that it made students think critically about real world problems, the legal system, and expanding the ideas out of the box.
Students in Mr. Fisher’s Scholastic Journalism course served as members of the press. Students used the skills they learned in the class to cover the event through individual interviews, taking notes during the trial itself, and holding several press conferences.
Sophomore Madison McKnight was one of the students in Fisher’s class that was part of the press. “I thought this was really fun and a good way to practice writing hard news stories and improve my writing abilities. I also want to go into the law field when I’m older, so it was really cool to see what the courtroom would be like,” McKnight explained in an interview.
Junior Kole Dunsworth enjoyed the trial quite a bit. While sitting in Laws chair, Dunsworth also served as the bailiff who called people down for interviews. Dunsworth was entertained with the idea of juggling multiple tasks; calling people down, taking his own notes, and being the recorder of the group. Dunsworth explained that he likes to stay busy, so having multiple jobs was good for him.
Junior Quinlyn Kuehl, another student journalist, stated, “I really enjoyed the trial, I didn't agree with the outcome but I believed it was fair nonetheless. I thought it was an interesting process and I'm glad I got to be a part of it.”
