BST Grade 9

Overview: One issue the court faces is society's tendency to paint jury duty as a nuisance rather than a civic duty. Students will learn about the criminal justice system, and the role of citizens as jurors. They will create marketing tools using what they learned to emphasize the importance of jury duty.

Project Initiation: We launched the project with a virtual Courthouse Tour that discussed the role of the prosecutor and defense attorneys, the role of the judge and the important role that the jurors play in the whole process. Students listened to a judge speak about the process and did a "mini-mock trial" in the felony arraignment department. Students debriefed the experience, learned more about the roles in a courtroom and role-played a scenario about jury selection and the importance of diversity in juries. 

Project Exploration and Development: Students in BST will be focusing on the importance of data collection, interpretation, and analysis through a forensic science lens. In computer science, students will work with large criminal justice datasets and apply computational data science techniques to create visualizations and subsets of data for further detailed analysis. In ELA/AVID, Students will also use their technical skills to create videos, infographics, and posters promoting the importance of public participation as jurors in the court system. Our client will use student-created marketing material on their website and within public spaces in the San Diego Superior Court System.

Project Revision and Exhibition: Student groups created deliverables that encouraged U.S. Citizens to complete their civic duty and respond to their jury-duty summons. They surveyed the public to determine the root causes that people use to not attend jury-duty and made various marketing tools to help persuade based on those arguments. These included things like lack of transportation, child care, work issues and more. Students completed marketing tools and presented to their peers and client to get feedback and revise. 

Teachers and Subjects: Jennifer Ogo- Biology, Biomedical Sciences, Daina Weber- ELA/AVID, Corrianne Burgess- Computer Science Principles