Pelham eighth graders participate in mock trial at town court
Editor’s Note: The following press release was provided by the Pelham School District.
Pelham eighth graders recently tried and deliberated a case at the Pelham Court House with the Honorable Judge John Gardner presiding. The mock trial, in which students served as prosecutors, defense attorneys, jurors, witnesses and clerks, considered a complex DUI case and augmented the students’ study of the legal system.
Before the trial began, students were given the opportunity to see the Town Court’s holding cell, try on handcuffs and ask questions of the Town Constables.
After both sides of the case were heard, the jury was brought out to deliberate. During that time, Judge Gardner answered students’ questions about the court system and his experience as a prosecutor, defense attorney, and judge.
While approximately half of the eighth graders participated in the mock trial, the other half went to The Picture House for a screening of “Inherit the Wind,” a 1960 film based on a real trial of a science teacher. Later this month, the students who attended the screening will participate in the mock trial and vise versa.
