Schools
Highlands Students Hold Intricate Mock Murder Trial
The eighth-graders took on the roles of attorneys, witnesses and jury, advised by actual lawyers and a judge, as they tried a fictional character for a slaying.
Eighth-grade students at La Grange Highlands Middle School immersed themselves in a dramatic mock trial of fictional character Billy Budd (Billy Budd, Sailor, Herman Melville) on Wednesday as part of their legal and Constitutional education, The Doings Western Springs reports.
According to the paper, students dressed up and played every role from attorneys to jury members while seven adult lawyers gave trial advice; of two convened juries, one was hung while the other found Budd guilty of manslaughter.
Even an actual Bridgeview judge, who presided, was impressed by the students’ poise. “Only seasoned attorneys are able to deliver closing arguments that well,” judge Carmen Aguilar told the paper.
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