Newspaper Page Text
Wednesday, December 25,2019
dawsonnews.com I DAWSON COUNTY NEWS I 5B
The DCHS FFA participated
in the state FFA dairy judging
contest held at ABAC College
on Dec. 13-14. The students
had to take a basic knowledge
written exam and perform a
team activity. The students had
to evaluate four groups of dairy
cattle for dairy soundness and
present oral reasons on their
placings. The team placed 10th
overall out of 24 teams. They
were the only team to score a
perfect score on their team
activity.
Photo for the Dawson County
News
Students gain real world
experience in mock trial
By Jessica Taylor
jtaylor@dawsonnews.com
Judge Ben McGinnis
banged the gavel and
asked for order in the
court after the verdict was
read. Defendant Jacob
Sheffield was found not
guilty of stealing a red
2004 Corvette from the
plaintiff, Rylee Edgil.
Then moments later, the
bell rang and it was time
for courtroom to be dis
mantled and for its inhab
itants to go to their next
class of the day.
It was an exciting morn
ing for Criminal Justice
teacher Jeff Perry’s stu
dents as they suited up in
their best courtroom attire
on Dec. 12 to conduct a
mock trial inside the
College and Career
Academy.
A semester’s worth of
information in the
Criminal Justice
Essentials course all cul
minated into mock trials
performed by each of
Perry’s classes at the end
of the fall 2019 semester.
“We learn about all the
roles of the court, the dif
ferent occupations and
trying to get them interest
ed,” Perry said. “They
choose which part that
they want to do based on
what they learn over this
course.”
The students learned a
courtroom is much more
than just a judge and jury.
There are bailiffs, court
reporters, prosecutors,
defense attorneys, plain
tiffs, defendants, witness
es and clerks.
Perry said he wanted his
students to have a mock
trial to give them as close
to the real world experi
ence possible to help
explain the complicated
criminal justice system.
“We’ve been practicing
for two weeks just trying
to get ready for it,” said
sophomore Kenna
LeBaron who assumed the
role of prosecutor. “Every
day in class we’ve gone
over it. We’ve gone
through it, but today was
the first time we took the
jury outside and they
voted on it.”
“It was all leading up to
this right here so it was
about two and a half
weeks when we started
with the basic premise and
then it ends with the final
verdict,” Perry said.
The final verdict wasn’t
good news for LeBaron
and Kylee Edgil, who
played the role of victim
Photos by Jessica Taylor Dawson County News
District Attorney Kenna LeBaron and plaintiff
Rylee Edgil object the jury's ruling to Criminal
Justice teacher Jeff Perry on Dec. 12 during a
mock trial performed by his students at Dawson
County High School. The jury ruled in favor of the
defense during the trial involving a stolen
Corvette.
in the scripted scenario.
The jury ruled in favor of
the defense.
“It was coerced,” Edgil
said of the verdict.
“I was definitely a little
upset about it because I
think that we definitely
proved our point,”
LeBaron added.
Though the sophomores
were disappointed that
they didn’t win their case,
being able to get out of the
classroom and apply their
knowledge in a courtroom
setting helped reinforce
the work that goes into the
careers they have chosen
to pursue.
“It’s really cool for the
people who are taking this
class that see a future
career down this path
way,” Edgil said. "’For me,
I want to go into criminol
ogy and further that career
pathway.”
LeBaron, who has
watched crime shows on
TV since she was a little
girl, has always wanted to
pursue a career as an attor
ney and reflected on the
work she put into her role
in the mock trial.
“Having all the informa
tion together I think was a
big part of it because it’s a
lot to know,” LeBaron
said. “I mean, you see it
on TV and it’s fun, but
you don’t realize how
much you really have to
know when going into it.”
Being a prosecutor is
more than preparing
opening and closing state
ments and asking wit
nesses a few questions.
The two and a half weeks
long project showed
LeBaron that there is a lot
of preparation that goes
into a trial from gathering
evidence to finding char
acter witnesses and mem
orizing facts - usually for
multiple cases at
Judge Ben McGinnis
presides over his peers
in a mock trial conduct
ed by students at
Dawson County High
School.
one time.
“I love that and it’s def
initely something I want
to go into,” LeBaron said.
“It’s looking at the work
that goes into it and just
learning that, especially if
you want to win cases,
you have to put in the
effort.”
The hard work paid off
as Perry said he was very
pleased with how his stu
dents handled the mock
trial. Next semester dur
ing his Criminal
Investigations course,
Perry plans to hold mock
crime scenes to conclude
the third and final class of
the Criminal Justice path
way at the College and
Career Academy. It’s
another hands-on experi
ence his students are
already looking forward
to when the spring semes
ter begins.
“Mr. Perry is one of my
favorite teachers. He’s so
funny. He’s so much fun
to be around,” Edgil said.
“It’s really cool to hear
his stories and everything
because it just inspires
me even more.”
Criminal Justice teacher Jeff Perry's second level Criminal Justice Essentials
class poses after performing a mock trial at the College and Career Academy
at Dawson County High School.
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