Latest news with #mocktrial
Yahoo
07-06-2025
- Yahoo
Middle schoolers try out SVVSD pre-law program at summer camp
Rising seventh grader Owen Lere took on the role of both a lawyer and a witness as he and his team tried to convince a jury to award damages in a fictitious case of a boy who was burned during a school marshmallow melting experiment. While his side didn't prevail — the defense had a legal edge — the experience only increased his enthusiasm for learning about the legal system with a goal of becoming an actual lawyer. 'I love arguing,' said Owen, who attends Erie's Soaring Heights PK-8. 'Fighting for justice is cool. One hundred percent I love this.' Dave Elchoness teaches a middle school pre-law summer camp Wednesday at St. Vrain Valley's Career Elevation and Technology Center.(Cliff Grassmick/Staff Photographer) The mock trial was the culmination of a recent four-day pre-law camp held at St. Vrain Valley's Career Elevation and Technology Center. The new pre-law camp was one of eight June camps designed to give middle school students a preview of the classes they can take in high school, including advanced manufacturing, health careers and culinary arts. St. Vrain started the pre-law program in 2022 with two classes, introduction to law and criminal law. District officials said it was the state's first career and technical education pre-law program. Since then, the program has grown from 80 students to more than 200 students and now includes four main classes, with civil rights law and business law both added to the roster. Students have the opportunity to join the classes remotely, from their home high schools, through the district's AGILE, or Advanced Global Interactive Learning Environments, initiative. There's also an opportunity for students to complete a senior capstone project. Izzy Renk, who will be a senior at Niwot High, worked with teacher David Elchoness to create the middle school summer camp's curriculum and teach the camp. Izzy, who wants to practice law and is taking paralegal classes at Front Range Community College, said the pre-law camps she attended in middle school in another school district encouraged her to continue studying law in high school. Developing a St. Vrain camp gives other middle schoolers the same opportunity, she said. 'Even if you don't want to be a lawyer, law classes can help you with your other classes,' she said. Rising Erie High junior Sienna Torres agreed, saying the pre-law classes improved her critical thinking and helped her write better argumentative essays for Advanced Placement classes. 'I love a good argument,' she said. 'This class taught me how to look beyond what is in front of you. I like that law isn't always black or white. It's always changing.' The high school classes are taught by Elchoness and his wife, lawyer Evelyn Bonn. Elchoness, also a lawyer, said he decided to switch careers and become a teacher for the program, which he modeled after his law school experience. Two years ago, he started a district high school mock trial team to give students more opportunities to practice what they learned. Last school year, the team made it to state and won the professionalism award at the competition. While he's teaching students the same legal concepts they would learn in high school, he said, he works to make sure the classes are fun and engaging. He creates fictitious cases students can relate to, holds frequent mock trials and debates and, for the business law class, has students create a company. 'It's fun to teach kids something new,' he said. 'Students are very interested in the law. We're using law to teach critical thinking, reading and writing skills, and oral advocacy. These are universal skills.' At the middle school camp, high school students joined on Thursday to help students prepare for the mock trial and serve as jurors. Along with rendering their verdicts, they judged the performances and feedback. While the defense was the clear legal winner, the high schoolers split on which side performed best and complimented all the students. Elchoness added his praise, saying he was surprised by how quickly the students learned legal concepts and how well they argued their sides as lawyers and responded to questions as witnesses. 'I thought you prepared the case as well as most of my high school students,' he said. 'You came up with great arguments and great questions. I was extremely impressed. You far exceeded my expectations.' When asked if they want to enroll in the pre-law program in high school, all eight students in the morning session raised their hands. Greylyn Garvin, who will be a seventh grader at Mead Middle School, said she enjoyed the chance to be 'so mean' in her cross examinations and would like to learn more about the law in high school. 'You never know what will happen (in a mock trial),' she said. 'It was exciting.'
BreakingNews.ie
09-05-2025
- BreakingNews.ie
Army officer who subjected recruits to 'degrading treatment' in mock trial fined by court martial
An army officer who was involved in staging a mock trial that subjected a number of trainee soldiers to 'degrading treatment' at a military camp in Cork has appeared before a real-life military court over the incident. The officer, who holds the rank of lieutenant, was fined a total of 34 days' pay – equivalent to a sum of just under €5,000 – after pleading guilty at a general court martial to six breaches of military law while acting as a training officer for a 1st Brigade NCO course at a number of military locations in Cork two years ago. Advertisement A military judge said the incident in relation to the mock trial demonstrated 'a culture that is not aligned' with the values of the Defence Forces and was the result of 'an unacceptable group dynamic' that had existed before the officer became involved in the training course. The identity of the accused is not being published at the request of the judge, Colonel Michael Campion, made during a sentencing hearing at the Military Justice Centre in McKee Barracks in Dublin. The officer admitted committing six offences of conduct prejudicial to good order and discipline, contrary to Section 168 of the Defence Act. They included a charge that he participated in a mock trial which resulted in the unlawful detention of three trainees at Lynch Camp, Kilworth, Co Cork on May 18th 2023. Advertisement He also admitted to consuming alcohol while on duty on the same date and location. Col Campion observed that the three trainees had been subjected to 'degrading treatment' by being placed in a mock prisoner-of-war cage, although he accepted that the accused was not the 'prime mover' in the incident. Separately, the officer pleaded guilty to conducting unauthorised drills with students at the Naval Base in Haulbowline, Co Cork on June 14th 2023 as well as consuming alcohol while on exercise. He also pleaded guilty to permitting subordinate instructors to consume alcohol and failing to prevent them from conducting manoeuvres after consuming alcohol at Fort Davis, Whitegate, Co Cork on June 15th, 2023. Advertisement The judge said the unauthorised drills had no legitimate training purpose and it appeared the students participating in them had been chosen because they were struggling with aspects of the course. Col Campion remarked that such trainees deserved the support of the officer 'instead of treatment of that kind.' He said such behaviour seriously undermined morale, negatively impacted on the reputation of the Defence Forces and created difficulties with the recruitment and retention of staff. The judge said the defendant's actions were not 'one-off' as they involved three separate incidents over the space of about a month. Advertisement Addressing the accused, Col Campion said he had considered dismissal from the Defence Forces as a punishment for conduct he described as 'utterly unacceptable.' However, the judge acknowledged that the officer had entered an early guilty plea and had cooperated with a military investigation, as well as apologising for his actions and showing insight and remorse. Col Campion noted that he had no previous record of indiscipline and said he was impressed by character references and support offered by his senior officers. The judge also observed that the accused had missed out on promotion to the rank of captain because of the court martial, as well as not being selected for overseas trips, which also had financial consequences for him. Advertisement Col Campion said the charges were not criminal offences, but the Defence Forces was different from civilian life and disciplinary breaches were far more serious when they were committed in a military environment. He observed that the maintenance of discipline was 'of the essence in a military force' and the Defence Forces was dependent on its members behaving for its 'effectiveness, integrity and reputation.' The judge claimed aggravating factors in the case were the accused's rank and experience and his knowledge of the standards expected of someone who had served three years as an officer. Col Campion observed that the lieutenant had set 'an appalling bad example' to his subordinates and his conduct was prejudicial to good order and discipline 'in a very real way.' He said the officer had failed to demonstrate the standard of leadership expected as well as a duty of care and showing trainees dignity and respect even in a robust training environment. However, the judge said he believed it was a case of appalling bad judgement on the part of the accused rather than anything more malign. Noting that the accused came from a family with a long military history, Col Campion said such a background would 'accentuate your sense of shame.' The judge allowed the defendant to pay the fine in monthly instalments of €286.66 over a 17-month period.
Yahoo
06-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Vestal HS places 2nd in regional mock trial competition
VESTAL, NY (WIVT/WBGH) – After conquering the Broome County division, one local high school's debate team faced off in the regional round over the weekend. Vestal High School's mock trial team defeated Binghamton High School to advance to the regional round. In mock trial competitions, two teams are given a fictional lawsuit, and a coin flip designates which team is the plaintiff and which is the defense. They use fictional evidence and witness testimony to support their arguments and create questions for direct and cross examination. The mock trial advisor, Zachary Gretsky says teams earn points based on how well they ask questions and respond to objections. 'We have students that have interest in law and students that have no interest in law. Really, what they come here to do is find a way to work as a team, to approach problems that have complex answers and solutions, and apply their different ideas and solutions to that,' says Gretsky. Over the weekend, Vestal won in the semi-finals against Tompkins County, and placed second in the region overall, after losing in the finals to a school from Onondaga County. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WIVT - News 34.
