The 2012-13 Regional Eighth Grade Mock Trial teams came together at Westerville’s City Council Chamber on March 14 to practice for the upcoming competition. Serving as judge for the mock trial hearing was former Franklin County Public Defender Dane Chavers of Columbus. Mayor Kathy Cocuzzi was also present and worked with the students.
The first time middle school extra-curricular program was led by the students’ advanced social studies teachers Liz Stokes, Walnut Springs, and Ryan Borland, Genoa, with support from the Gifted Education and Social Studies Departments. Special thanks were expressed to Mary Johnston and Marisa Akamine at the Westerville Clerk of Courts office, for making this possible. Middle School Mock Trial cases are written by teams of teachers and lawyers who craft a trial from literature taught in middle school English classes. This program is designed using Ohio’s content standards for social studies and English language arts so that analytical and thinking skills grow and shine when students argue these cases. The State Showcase will take place in Columbus at the Supreme Court of Ohio in April. For further information, please visit www.oclre.org/middleschoolmocktrial/.