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PROJECT “LEGAL LIVES” 2004
Fulton D-A Schools Elementary Students on Law and Order
| From reality
TV police and court dramas to learning about the real thing! That’s
the journey Atlanta elementary school students who participate in
“Project Legal Lives” take, courtesy of Fulton County
District Attorney Paul Howard. Each year since Mr. Howard initiated
the program in Georgia in 1993, fifth graders from |
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Arkwright, Dean Rusk, Mary McLeod Bethune, Peyton Forest, Venetian
Hills and this year, Benteen Elementary Schools are introduced
to the workings of the criminal justice system. They become the
actors in a mock-trial competition. The youngsters who give their
all to the project are taken on a whirlwind trip to Washington,
D.C!
Once a week for ten weeks, the youngsters are immersed in the
law by assistant district attorneys as part of their social studies
classes. They are taught the principles and values that underlie
our criminal justice system; a basic respect for individual rights
and respect for the common good. They also learn, as any good
lawyer must, how to think critically, analyze facts and speak
before an audience. Then, they’re ready for the mock-trial.
The DA’s Community Affairs Director Jada Dawkins says as
the weeks pass, you can see the remarkable growth in the students.
“It is as rewarding for us”, Dawkins says, “as
it is for them.”
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On trial
day, they are the prosecutors, defense attorneys, defendants, witnesses,
victims and jurors and the judge. This year’s competition was
held May 13th at the Fulton County Courthouse in downtown Atlanta.
It, as always, is judged by members of the Fulton County DA’s
staff. For Dean Rusk Elementary School student Malik Caldwell, |
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who won a trophy for his mock-trial work, that part of the program
was “totally awesome”. “The best thing about the
Legal Lives program was the mock-trial.”
The reward for the students’ enthusiasm, hard work and perseverance
is an all expense paid trip to the nation’s capital. Judging
by the comments of those who traveled to Washington this year,
that alone is incentive to do well. “The trip to Washington
was fun”, says Ngoc Vu of Dean Rusk Elementary. “I learned
about Frederick Douglass and how he learned to read all by himself
and how he fought for what he believed in.” Peyton Forest
student Katari Fannin says “…it was fun visiting the
National Zoo and seeing all the different animals.”
The competition is tough. The students who are selected to make
the trip aren’t judged solely on their mock-trial performance.
They must demonstrate commitment to Project Legal Lives by consistent
participation in the classes, completing homework assignments
and exhibiting exemplary behavior in and out of class. Five students
from each school are chosen to make the trip. Some of the fifth-grade
teachers accompany the students to Washington as chaperones. Most
of the money for the program comes from a Local Law Enforcement
Block Grant through the U. S. Justice Department. The Fulton County
D.A.’s office provides the balance.
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And who wouldn’t be excited about a four day excursion to the
nation’s capital? The young people will tell you it was exhausting
yet exhilarating and exciting! This year from June 3rd through the 6th,
they toured the renowned Smithsonian Museum, the Air and Space Museum,
and visited the home of writer and orator Frederick Douglass on the
African-American Heritage tour. On Capitol Hill, they were greeted by
Georgia Congress members John Lewis, a civil rights hero, and David
Scott.
| The goal
of Project Legal Lives is simple. It is to familiarize these young
people with the law and how the legal system works in order to keep
them from winding up on the wrong side of the system. As District
Attorney Howard puts it, “I truly believe that one of the Legal
Lives students will someday sit on our nation’s Supreme Court.
I believe they will all become better |
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citizens. It is important for my office to continue to play an
important role in this process.”
The students may be too young to realize the full import of their
participation in such a program. But they do know the experience
is meaningful and fun. For Takeria Michelle Nash of Arkwright
Elementary, Project Legal Lives was life changing. In a letter
of gratitude she writes, “Thank you for all you have done
for me. I really appreciate the hospitality. I have really had
a good time. You have set a new goal for me to reach.”And
that, says District Attorney Howard, is what it’s all about.
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