Santa Fe Trail Students, Professionals from Johnson County Courthouse Hold Mock Trial

A Santa Fe Trail student serves as a mock trial judge with help from a professional from the Johnson County Courthouse.
Shawnee Mission School District

Before a jury of their peers, fifth- and sixth-graders at Santa Fe Trail  Elementary School recently hosted a mock trial.

In the transformed school library, the Trailblazers sat with Johnson County judges, attorneys, a deputy court administrator and a court reporter who helped the students determine if Goldilocks, from “Goldilocks and the Three Bears” was guilty of a crime. These professionals visited the school to talk to students about the Constitution and branches of government. Click here to see a video.

The students had been learning about the constitution and government and the lessons helped bring the information to life for students, Erin Feller, teacher, said.

Sage, a Santa Fe Trail student, served as the judge during the mock trial.

“It was just phenomenal,” she said. “They put it in a way kids would enjoy, laugh about, and remember.”

A Santa Fe Trail student serves as a mock trial judge with help from a professional from the Johnson County Courthouse.
A student serves as a defense attorney at mock trial
A judge works with students at Santa Fe Trail
A student tries on a robe before mock trial.
A student tries on a robe before mock trial
A court reporter talks to students
A judge advises a student at mock trial
The mock trial presentation begins at Santa Fe Trail