Home-school students to learn legal system

More than 40 metro-area home-school students will be in court Friday at the Oklahoma Judicial Center for the Classical Conversations’ Challenge B mock trials.

Students will participate in rehearsed courtroom trials to learn about the legal system in a competitive manner. Classical Conversations, a classical home-school organization, uses mock trial competition to teach skills in research, grammar, writing, rhetoric, public speaking, debate and drama.

“I believe it is very important for every American to be wellinformed about how our justice system works,” said Tracey Young, Challenge B director for the Henderson Hills Classical Conversations Community.

This year’s mock trial is a first-degree murder case. All the courtroom roles will be there, including judge, prosecutor, defense attorney, defendant, witnesses and law enforcement officers. The Classical Conversations’ mock trial program uses local judges or attorneys to play the part of the trial judge and other adults to play the jury. All the other roles are filled by Challenge B students. All the necessary documents: Witness statements, law enforcement reports, pertinent state laws and evidence exhibits are provided for the students.

Mock trial participants will include:

First Baptist Church, Edmond: Matthew Bross, Ally Chaavez, Seth Finch, Bryleigh Frank, Hope Hampton, Joy Hampton, Jonathan Hanser, Matthew Hanser, Linnea Malmberg, Whitney Stoabs, Daniel Tracy and McClellan Winton.

Henderson Hills, Edmond: Emily Bender, Cayden Cole, Chris Dunn, Grayson Graham, Ashlyn Kratochvil, Kaya Maberry, DillonMilner, Matthew Moraine, Luke Speer, Charlie Wallace and Katy Williams.

Heritage Presbyterian, Edmond: Baylor Bullard, Bryce Bullard, Ford Bullard, Will Cargill, Maloree Cordova, Caroline Gould, Madeline Kendall, Noah Kent, Jennah Koiner, Coleman Manley and Dayona Minshull.

Urban Core: Judge Gardner, Ian Hivley, Heather Janssen and Lillian Savage.

Victory, OKC: Anastasia Anderson, Aaron Dawes, Tavis Klassen, Sarah Tardibono and Courtney Queen Tate.