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Order in the Court! Courtroom
Replica Is Brought to Life
From
A Simple Sketch
By Carole Grosch, CUSD
Today*
Posted on December 29, 2010 |
Three months of hard work came to fruition the evening
of Nov. 4 when Clovis North High School unveiled Bronco
Court, its brand new mock courtroom. The elaborate
on-campus courtroom replica was the result of hundreds
of volunteer hours and donations from all over the
state, which brought life to what began as a simple
sketch.
In February 2010, Clovis North’s Mock Trial Team won the
Fresno County Mock Trial Competition. Shortly after,
Larry Linder, husband of Linda Linder who serves as one
of the team coaches, had a vision for a courtroom that
the team could use for their practices. The sketch he
created was used to guide the construction and is now
displayed on the new courtroom wall.
Story continued
below.
Photos Courtesy of CUSD
Today |
Slide show by JoAnne Green
The hope for the classroom-turned-courtroom would be
that it could aid the Mock Trial Team in preparing for
future competitions.
“We felt empowered by our win,” explained sophomore
Natalee Bachant. “We grew a lot together as a team and
learned how to adapt to each other.”
Mock trials are a simulation of an original court case
with students taking on the various roles of courtroom
participants: lawyers, bailiffs, court clerks, jury
members and witnesses. Teams of high school students
present their cases before presiding judges and
attorneys, who evaluate each team’s performance. Clovis
North Mock Trial Coaches Linda Linder and Bryan Frazier
utilize the expertise of attorneys Kevin Hansen and Mark
Broughton who volunteer their time teaching court
procedures and rules of evidence.
Nicole Meier, a junior who aspires to become an
attorney, said participating in trials has “helped with
public speaking, thinking on my feet, and communicating
clearly and confidently. Due to the fact Clovis North is
such a young school [having just opened in 2007] it was
easy to become involved.”
The high school provided the classroom, but all
materials, funds, and labor came from the students,
coaches, and parents. The construction cost the school
nothing. Both new and antique materials were used to
create the furnishings. In the past year, approximately
$4,000 was raised between private donations and local
restaurant events; other fundraisers are planned.
All work was done after school and on weekends. The
larger pieces, which had been stored in the Linder’s
barn, were upholstered by the students, and moved by
trailer to the school in mid-October. Along with other
skills, Larry Linder taught the students to sand,
spackle and upholster. Forty students are on the Mock
Trial Team, with the majority helping in some capacity.
“Church pews came from Northern California,” said Linda.
“They were repainted black and gold and reupholstered
with new padding, all done by the kids. We had
twenty-two different doors that came out of San
Francisco, San Diego and Fresno. Directed by Larry, the
kids learned how to remove the hardware and restore the
doors. It was a work of art and love.”
The final result is a very realistic courtroom setting,
complete with lawyer tables, a raised witness stand,
jury box and judge’s bench, all with the appropriate
railings. The spectator area is large enough to seat 43
people. A Superior Court Seal is mounted on the wall and
real law books from the 1930s and 1980s line the
bookcase. Behind the bookcase is a board signed with the
involved students’ names. All the furnishings are fully
portable and handicapped-accessible.
The day before the courtroom’s grand opening, two
parents spent an entire day cleaning and doing touch-up
painting.
“We were very proud on opening night,” said Natalee. “We
had worked so many hours. It was a lot of fun.”
Youth Court
The new Bronco Court, the only mock courtroom in CUSD,
will also host real cases in the form of the Youth Court
program, a part of the Fresno County Superior Court
System. This is a diversion program for area high school
students who are first-time offenders. They must meet
certain criteria and agree not to challenge law
enforcement charges for misdemeanors such as petty theft
or simple battery. Members of the Youth Court, comprised
of high school students, do not determine the guilt or
innocence of their peers; rather they are responsible
for the offenders’ sentencing.
Youth Court began in October 1995 at Roosevelt High
School in Fresno, and is an alternative to the juvenile
justice system. It operates with the full authority of a
court of law with the only adults involved being the
judge, a law enforcement officer and school coordinator.
Students complete an application for Youth Court Jury
Duty and are given training to make fair decisions. Some
sentencing options are community service, written
apologies to victims or an essay relevant to the
offense. The idea is to match the sentence to the crime
and circumstances that surround it. The significance of
teenagers sentencing other teenagers exerts peer
pressure in a positive way and early intervention often
prevents future offenses.
Failure to comply with the court requirements results in
the case being referred back to the Fresno County
Probation Department. If the offender does comply, his
or her record is fully expunged, making the youth court
a popular option.
Failure to comply with the court requirements results in
the case being referred back to the Fresno County
Probation Department. If the offender does comply, his
or her record is fully expunged, making Youth Court a
popular option.
After being approached by the Fresno County Superior
Court representatives, all five high schools in the CUSD
currently participate in the Youth Program. There is one
session scheduled per month at each school, and
generally three cases are heard per session. Cases are
heard in a classroom at the high school where the
offending student attends.
“The construction of the Bronco
Court was truly a team effort of parents, coaches,
students and, of course, Larry Linder, whose guidance
and expertise all along the way made our dream a ‘real’
courtroom, allowing CN students the opportunity to serve
as jurors, and youthful offenders to experience the
judicial process in action from a ‘jury of their
peers.’ Several members of the Mock Trial Team are on
the CN jury pool and will have the opportunity to see
what it is like ‘from the other side.’
The mock trial family is
proud to serve our school by making the courtroom
available to all who wish to see how learning in a
‘real-life’ setting can enhance one’s
appreciation for our judicial process and a citizen’s
role in that process.”
*This article was originally
published in CUSD Today, December 2010, and is
published on
ExperienceClovis.com with permission. All rights reserved.
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