contributed photos
This Citizen Contribution was submitted by Dawn M. Slade of DMS Public Relations.
Guilty or not guilty? That was the question considered in the mock courtroom in the auditorium of King-Robinson Interdistrict Magnet And IB STEM School, from 4:15 – 5:30 p.m. on June 12, 2024, as members of the King-Robinson Mock Trial team tried the case of the People v E and T.
The young lawyers included: Kaleb Perez, Keerome Suggs, Keysean Wagner, Tyrique Thigpen, Tyler Thigpen, David Samules, Joshua Dennis, and Amir Fludd. David Samules was an attorney and an expert witness (forensic pathologist), and Joshua Dennis was an attorney and one of the eyewitnesses (a white-haired fisherman).
The mock trial team was coached by Michael A. Chandler, a biology major and former college mock trial competitor and coach. The mock trial is part of the CSI/Mock Trial Program funded with a grant awarded to Culturally Correct Creative, Inc. by The Prosperity Foundation, Inc. The curriculum for the CSI/Mock Trial Program was created by Amanda Hayes Foundation, Inc. During the CSI unit, students learned crime scene investigation techniques and acted as crime scene investigators. Students then presented the evidence collected in the CSI unit in the mock trial. During the mock trial, students were attorneys and witnesses, ranging from eyewitnesses to an expert witness who testify about the negative impact of street drugs on the human body.
The student attorneys completed an entire trial, delivering openings and closings, and conducting direct examinations and cross-examinations in front of an attentive audience of parents, teachers, family, and friends.
“The purpose of our CSI/Mock Trial Program is to teach students their legal rights and responsibilities and expose them to careers in law enforcement,” says Reginald A. Slade, Executive Director of Culturally Correct Creative, Inc. “We feel this program helps students develop discipline, oral presentation skills, analytical skills, and the desire to learn more.”
The mock trial was a collaborative effort. Audio visual support was provided by Blue Plum Productions, Inc., which filmed the crime scene video and created the CSI slide show. Blue Plum was on hand to display the crime scene video, on cue, during the trial. Abraham’s Promise, Inc. provided the only 2 adult witnesses in the mock trial, the homicide detective and an eyewitness. The homicide detective was portrayed by Abraham’s Promise’s Executive Director, Barry Abraham. The eyewitness was portrayed by event planner Monique Russell, who also pitched in and created the certificates of achievement for each student.
The program could not have been completed without the support of King-Robinson’s faculty and leadership. Principal Mrs. Tessa Gumbs-Johnson authorized and fully supported the program. Faculty members, Jasmin Joiner and Taylor Samuels-Gonzalez were instrumental in presenting the program to the school and recruiting students for the program. Mr. Hill, a King-Robinson STEM teacher and the teacher-sponsor for the program, allowed Chandler and the students to use his STEM classroom to conduct experiments, build trial exhibits, and for mock trial practice.
Members of the community also provided support. William Dwayne Gallishaw, a Master Carpenter from HHC Carpentry, helped the students build their own trial exhibits out of wood. The Shubert Theatre provided discount tickets to STOMP for the program’s team-building field trip.
