Fall 2007
LAW-RELATED EDUCATION NEWS
Volume 1, Number 1
Law-related Education Programs The members of the Oklahoma Bar Association have a long standing commitment of supporting education through the Law-related Education Program (LRE). Since 1989, LRE has promoted civic education by providing free resources, materials, and professional development opportunities to Oklahoma educators. The most widely distributed publications offered are the pocket Constitutions and Young Adult Guides. 12,170 copies have been issued since the start of the 2007-2008 school year. The Sonic Corporation helped make this possible by funding 20,000 copies of the Young Adult Guide. LRE programs exist through the collaborative efforts of organizations, individuals, and agencies. Programs such as Peer Mediation, Mock Trial, Project Citizen, Citizen and the Constitution, and PACE are made possible by a large network of people committed to the advancement of youth. In addition to the services provided by the organization as a whole, 226 attorneys have made personal commitments to speak at schools across the state through the Lawyers in the Classroom Program. We encourage Oklahoma educators to take advantage of the many services and programs available to enhance citizenship education within our schools. A better citizenry results in a better community.
INSIDE THIS ISSUE Page 2 LRE Coordinator’s Welcome Program Acknowledgements Page 3 Law Day & Supreme Court Teacher and School of the Year Contests Encyclo-Media
Constitution Day September 17, 2007 Realizing a need to increase constitutional awareness among American youth, Louis Leigh made it her mission to rekindle interest in Constitution Day. Due to Ms. Leigh’s vision, schools nationwide now commemorate Constitution Day. While Oklahoma schools prepared to celebrate Constitution Day, the Law-related Education Program distributed 7,791 pocket constitutions during August and September. Individual requests ranged from 20 copies to 1,400. As Freedom Week (November 11-16) approaches, remember pocket constitutions for your classroom or school are just a phone call away. Contact information can be found on page 6.
Page 4 Lawyer in The Classroom Page 5 Peer Mediation Peaceful Resolution For Oklahoma Students (PROS)
LRE
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Making Connections… Jane McConnell, OBA/LRE Coordinator Now is the time to make connections with Law-related Education programs. Today’s teachers and administrators are searching for minutes within their busy days to best serve students. LRE has a proven track record of assisting educators in delivering quality civic education. Developmentally age-appropriate curricula for Pre-K thru 12 are easily correlated to Oklahoma’s PASS skills. Many of the teachers featured in this edition began by making a connection to one of our LRE programs. Professional development and training are offered with free classroom materials. LRE teachers are leaders within their school districts, recognizing that civics must be taught across the curriculum.
CIVITAS… The Institute for the Study of Civil Society February 2007 Jeanie Driskill, 4th Grade teacher at West Elementary in Weatherford accompanied Jane McConnell, LRE Coordinator to the Foundations in Democracy Professional Development seminar in High Tatras, Slovakia. The Oklahoma representatives worked in partnership with representatives from Michigan and Colorado to present the fundamentals of politics and government to teachers in an emerging democracy. Those representing Michigan were David Hales, Michigan Social Studies Consultant and Sandy McDonald an elementary school teacher from Taylor Public Schools. The Colorado representatives were Consultant Gail Schatz and elementary teacher trainer, Stefani Sullivan. This exchange program is funded through the Center for Civic Education.
Pictured: Right, Jeanie Driskill; Left:, Stefani Sullivan
April 2007 LRE Committee Member Randy Grau traveled to the Czech Republic to represent Oklahoma as part of Civitas, an international program teaching individuals how to be involved in their local government.
We the People… Citizen and the Constitution Enid High School teacher Matt Holtzen’s class competed at the National Finals in Washington, D.C. LRE Chairperson, Chip Clark served as a national finals judge.
May 2007 The We the People:Project Citizen National Showcase was held during a National Conference of State Legislators meeting in Boston. The event was co-sponsored by the Center for Civic Education and the NCSL. Oklahoma received a superior ranking in the Project Citizen National Showcase results. Thanks to the efforts of Janet Cook and her 5th grade class at Laverne Elementary. Each competing group presented a public policy proposal. Laverne Elementary students addressed the issue of nutrition in their project entitled “Slim is the Weigh to Go”. Way to go Laverne Elementary! June 2007 LRE Committee Member, Evelyn Phyffer attended the Street Law Parents and the Law Conference in Reno, Nevada.
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Join the Oklahoma Bar Association in celebrating
Law Day
“Elections: Democracy in Action”
New contest deadline: December 15 contests: • • • • •
Visit www.okbar.org for contest details!
Prizes for students up to $250 Art and writing contests for students in Pre-K – 12th Grade Drawings for teachers to win gift certificates Winning entries will be featured in the Oklahoma Bar Journal and at www.okbar.org Statewide recognition for your students and your school!
activities: • •
Seniors and juniors can prepare for their 18th birthday with our Legal Guide for Young Adults Online. Sophomores and freshman can take an online quiz that tests their citizenship knowledge.
Hear, ye… Hear, ye Applications for Oklahoma Supreme Court Teacher of the Year and School of the Year are now available online. One teacher and one school will receive special recognition for the development of creative and innovative citizenship education programs. The winning school and teacher will each receive a $1000 cash award and trophy. The awards will be given in the latter part of February before the Supreme Court. Become part of this 19 year tradition of honoring academic excellence. Applications are due Wednesday, January 9, 2008.
Encyclo-Media The Oklahoma Bar Association’s Lawrelated Education staff proudly participated in the 27th annual State Superintendent’s Encyclo-Media Conference held August 29th and 30th. The OBA’s LRE booth exhibited the resources and materials readily available to educators. The conference provided an excellent opportunity to meet teachers, administrators, counselors, and media specialists from around the state. Due to the overwhelming response received, LRE plans to make Encyclo-Media an annual event. We look forward to working with you this year!
LRE Lawyers in the Classroom Through the Lawyers in the Classroom program Oklahoma students have the opportunity to learn about legal topics.
Last year, John Thomas Hall was Chairman of the Tulsa County Bar Association’s LRE. Through his efforts, the TCBA Law Related Education Committee began coordination with the OBA’s LRE Committee by sending speakers to schools in all of Northeast Oklahoma’s17 counties. TCBA made twenty-seven contacts and spoke to 24 schools, or approximately 1500 students. They spoke to the Tulsa CPA Women’s Group concerning the new bankruptcy laws; to Tulsa Tech on the Young Adult Guide; to a teacher’s conference at NEO on various aspects of the law; to the Oklahoma Legal Assistant’s meeting on labor law; and at the local chapter of the National Association of Legal Secretaries on adoption law. A committee member instructed law enforcement officers in search and seizure, Miranda and other such topics as part of their required training. John published an article in the Tulsa World’s Readers’ Forum on the TCBA’s Job Fair at Hamilton School. John also began a “We the People…” program at Hamilton Middle School. It is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education and is designed to teach about the Constitution and Bill of Rights. The OBA and TCBA are jointly sponsoring the program in the Fifth Congressional District. The students at Hamilton will study the comprehensive curriculum and then go to the State Capital later in the school year to make a presentation and be showcased as a model middle school program. Because of John’s work with the LRE Committee, he was awarded the TCBA’s President’s Award. John graduated from OCU Law School and passed the Oklahoma Bar Exam in 1977. He has since been in the general practice of law, with emphasis in criminal and civil trial work.
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LRE Programs WE THE PEOPLE: CITIZEN & THE CONSTITUTION PROJECT CITIZEN CIVITAS (An International Civic Exchange Program) www.civiced.org
LAW SCHOOL FOR LEGISLATORS LAWYERS IN THE CLASSROOM INFORM (Information Now for Oklahoman’s Rejecting Meth)
PACE (Programs Advancing Citizenship Education)
Summer Teacher Institute PROS (Peaceful Resolution for Oklahoma Students) www.oscn.net/static/adr/ pros.aspx
SUPREME COURT AWARDS
Hamilton Middle School
School & Teacher of the Year
MOCK TRIAL Young Lawyers Division www.okbar.org/public/ mocktrial/default.htm
YOUTH FOR JUSTICE www.youthforjustice.com
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Peer Mediation LRE CALENDAR OF EVENTS 2007 OCTOBER 5th-8th We the People Project Citizen Coordinator Meeting in San Francisco 15th PACE XVIII Lesson Plans Due 18th LRE will host booth at OEA DECEMBER We the People Citizen & the Constitution District Competitions 2008 JANUARY 9th Supreme Court Teacher and School of the year Applications due 26th We the People Citizen & the Constitution State Finals at the Capitol
Peer Mediation Training workshops have attracted over 100 administrators, counselors, teachers, parents, and students. The trainings were held in Lawton, Tulsa, and Oklahoma City during September, 2007. The one (1) day event agenda begins with a team building exercise which allows each “team” represented to introduce their group and share something interesting about the school they represent. Phil Johnson, Peer Mediation Specialist and trainer, led the participants in a group discussion on “What are the main types of conflicts in schools?” followed by discussion on “What are the responses to conflicts?” Students who attended the trainings participated in a role play staged to demonstrate a hallway dispute followed by a mock mediation session. This gave participants an opportunity to view the five (5) stage model used in the PROS school-based peer mediation model. PROS Each participating team dePeaceful Resolutions for Oklahoma Students veloped an implementation Five (5) Stage Model Introductions plan to include how to start Telling the Story a “peer mediation” program Putting Yourself in the Other Person’s Position in their respective schools. Problem Solving The components of a plan Writing Agreement include: selecting an advisory & core team, develop a plan of action, faculty promotion, selecting student mediators, time frame for training, training agenda, program promotion, and community resources. The teams shared their respective implementation plan with those in attendance. “It is very exciting to see schools from across Oklahoma participate in these regional trainings and take the mediation process back to their respective schools for implementation”, Phil Johnson, Peer Mediation Specialist stated. The PROS – Peaceful Resolutions for Oklahoma Students is a collaborative project between the Supreme Court of Oklahoma, Administrative Office of the Courts, and the Oklahoma Bar Association.
Photo Left: Lawton’s Eisenhower High School participants (L-R) Counselor, Rhonda Mahaffey; JORTC Program Leader, Col. James Taylor; Jacobi Isham, Alisha Ashouri and Counselor Janet Harrington. Photo Above: Marlow High School participants (L-R) Principal, Tommy Cosgrove; Senior students, Tess Bullard, Kelsi Greer, Jesse Peters, and Garrett Brown
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Law-related Education Programs Oklahoma Bar Association P.O. Box 53036 Oklahoma City, OK 73152
Find it Online!
Oklahoma Bar Association
www.okbar.org/public/lre/default.htm
Executive Director
What you will find on the LRE web pages:
Law-related Education Committee Chairperson
• • • • • •
John Morris Williams
Jack C. “Chip” Clark
Vice Chairperson Contact Info News Releases Calendar of Events Description of Programs Useful links Video Library Catalog
FORMS: Free Materials Request Request for Attorney Speaker Supreme Court Award Applications PACE XIX Summer Institute Applications
Tracy Pierce Nester
Law-related Education Coordinator Jane McConnell janem@okbar.org - 405-416-7024
Administrative Assistant Debra Jenkins debraj@okbar.org - 405-416-7023 1901 N. Lincoln Blvd. P.O. Box 53036 Oklahoma City, OK 73152 Toll Free Number: 800-522-8065 FAX: 405-416-7088