Legal Panel and Mock Trial

Civics is a Venture strand that includes Government, Law and the Constitution, and an English component.

Civics teacher Hank Gehrls helped to organize a legal panel to show students what it is like to work in the Criminal Justice System. Several local professionals participated including a district judge, a prosecutor, a defense attorney, a police officer and a court reporter. Students were then able to ask questions of the panelists.

Monica Slaughter, a Linn County Prosecutor who spoke on the panel, expressed interest in guiding students who were currently working on a mock trial case. She and fellow Linn County Prosecutor Ryan Decker met with students for several weeks, helping them to understand and prepare for various aspects of courtroom procedure. They worked on how to word questions, how to structure arguments, how to raise objections and how to present exhibits. Students then participated in a mock trial at the Linn County Courthouse. Slaughter and Decker served as judges while parents served as jury members. One of the Venture Civics students said, "Being coached by experts in law helped me learn the information better. Having the trial in a courtroom made the experience seem more real and challenged me to do my best."