/Winter2008Newsletter

Winter 2008

Volume 2, Number 2

LAW-RELATED EDUCATION NEWS

Law School for Legislators

INSIDE THIS ISSUE Page 2 LRE Coordinator’s Welcome Acknowledgements

Attorney General Drew Edmondson addresses newly elected Oklahoma Representatives

Law School for Legislators was developed to afford newly elected legislators with the opportunity to connect with members of the judiciary and other government officials. The program addresses legal issues and provides legal resources to assist legislators. The program was held December 8 at the Oklahoma Bar Center. Presenters included OBA President Elect, Jon Parsley; Justice James Edmondson; Oklahoma Court of Civil Appeals Judge Jane P. Wiseman; Workers Comp Director of Counselors Program, Mike Sykes; District 3 Oklahoma County Commissioner, Ray L. Vaughn, Jr., Attorney General W.A. Drew Edmondson; and OBA Executive Director, John Morris Williams. Oklahoma Supreme Court Justices John Reif, James Watts, James Winchester, Steven Taylor, and Joseph Watt were available to welcome the legislators.

Time to Submit Your Nominations for Supreme Court Teacher and School of the Year Each year one educator and one school receive recognition for their contributions to the furtherance of citizenship education. The honorees are awarded a trophy and $1000 presented by the Supreme Court Justices during a special ceremony in February.

We encourage you to nominate that special teacher or school for consideration.

DEADLINE: Wednesday, January 14th, 2009

Page 3 PACE XX Representative Democracy in America Close-Up

Page 4 Lawyers in The Classroom

Page 5 Hatton W. Sumners LRE Basic 101: Foundations of Democracy

LRE

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Making Connections‌ Jane McConnell, OBA/LRE Coordinator

Above - CIVITAS Coordinators in Santo Domingo: (l-r) Leonor Elmudesi de Bancalari, Dominican Republic; Linda Start, Michigan; Jane McConnell, Oklahoma: Frank Kelly, Dominican Republic; Barbara Miller, Colorado Top Right - School Children from the Gambelycan Village in the Azua Province

CIVITAS International Exchange Program now includes the Dominican Republic. Oklahoma, Colorado, and Michigan Coordinators traveled to Santo Domingo to attend our new country’s executive board meeting in late November. With our grant from the Center for Civic Education, partners create opportunities to learn from and assist others with international teachers and leaders exchanges. Our partnership exchanges help to improve education for democracy programs in each country. Slovakia and the Czech Republic are included in our CIVITAS family.

PROS

Project Citizen

Ralph Bauer, Director Early Settlement-Southwest Program presenting Jane McConnell, LRE Coordinator with the D.O.V.E.S. award at the Annual Volunteer Mediator Conference held October 2, at Oklahoma State University in Oklahoma City. The LRE Department works in collaboration with Phil Johnson, Peer Mediation Specialist, at the Oklahoma Supreme Court Administrative Office of the Courts.

Project Citizen District Coordinators at The Project Citizen National Convention in Washington, D.C., October 9-14. Pictured: Donna Garrison, District 1; Charlie Bevers, District 4; Michael Fisher, National Director Project Citizen; Becky Walderbach, District 5; and Rep. Ed Cannaday, District 2. Not pictured: Janet Cook, District 3

LRE

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Celebrating 20 Years of PACE If you are a past participant of PACE or know of others previously involved in PACE, you are cordially invited to attend the Reunion Picnic to be held Sunday, July 12, 2009.

More details will be available in the Spring 2009 Edition.

Please bring any photographs or other PACE memorabilia you may have. Your attendance will help make this a memorable event.

The PACE XX topic will be Discovering the Digital Divide.

Applications for the PACE XX institute are available online at: www.okbar.org/public/lre.

INSTITUTE DATES: July 20-22, 2009

Representative Democracy in America NEW! This program developed by the Alliance for Representative Democracy provides a wealth of resources to teach students the meaning of democracy, how representative democracy works, and how they can become involved. Resources include lesson plans, short videos, puzzles, and a teacher’s guide. Resources are available for levels 2-12.

January 29, 2009, Edmond Public Schools 5th grade teachers will participate in the first training program and receive materials to assist in teaching the ideals of representative democracy. Saturday, February 28, 2009, the Representative Democracy in America Program will be offered at the Oklahoma Bar Center. Educators may elect to attend the morning or afternoon program. Lunch will be provided for both groups.

Applications will be available online at: www.okbar.org/public/lre or call 1-800-522-8065, ext. 7024 for more information.

More information on the Alliance for Representative Democracy and the Representative Democracy in America program can be found at: Representative Democracy in America - www.representativedemocracy.org

Oklahoma Close Up The Oklahoma Bar Association Law-related Education Department is a proud sponsor of the 29th annual Close-Up Program. Students from across the state are afforded the opportunity to participate in the political process at the state level. Close-up participants will: • • • • • • •

Observe legislative sessions Meet Oklahoma Legislators Tour the State Capitol Discuss important current issues Spend a day with a State Legislator Observe fast track cases in the Court of Criminal Appeals Engage in seminars with government officials

The 2009 program will take place February 17-20. Additional information regarding the program can be found at: www.okcloseup.org.

Organization Contact: Eugene Earsom, 405-325-5832

LRE

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Lawyers in the Classroom Judge Daman Cantrell

Websites for Educators

Judge Cantrell (r) with students from the Lakeside Home School.

The New York Times * www.nytimes.com/learning/ Justice Learning*www.justicelearning.org/ Youth Leadership Initiative * www.youthleadership.net/index.jsp Smithsonian’s History Explorer*historyexplorer.americanhistory.si.edu/ The National Archives*www.archives.gov/education/constitution-community.html Discovery Education*school.discoveryeducation.com/lessonplans/ushis.html

Booker T. Washington said that “Success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome.”

If that judgment is a worthy standard, then the Tulsa County Lakeside Home students have come far in that effort. As part of Law Week 2008, the students, who comprise a group home for youths adjudicated in the juvenile system, reached out to the community by speaking to students groups on the mistakes that they made and what they have learned after being sent to the Lakeside Home.

In addition, the Lakeside students demonstrated their prowess in the Oklahoma High School Mock Trial competition. This past year the Lakeside team won both qualifying rounds of the competition, and finished 24th out of 60 teams overall. The competition is sponsored by the Young Lawyers Division of the Oklahoma Bar Association and the Oklahoma Bar Foundation.

Lakeside Home, located on the banks of Lake Yahola in North Tulsa near the Tulsa Zoo and Mohawk Park, was known as Mohawk Boy’s Home for several decades until it was reorganized into a co-ed treatment facility in the 1950’s, according to Superintendent Barbara Walker.

Lakeside youths receive counseling and treatment for substance abuse and emotional issues as well as counseling with their parents. Most stay between 6 months and a year, depending on progress.

The past five years, I have been privileged to work with these kids on the mock trial competition, and they have pleasantly surprised all of us with their performances, often beating large 6A high schools.

But it is the “giving back” during Law Week which is most striking.

The youths have been to several Tulsa-area schools and discuss in open and frank terms what landed them in the system and at Lakeside. Nothing the adults can say about such serious topics as drug use, gang membership, and troubles in the home carry as much weight as what these true-life stories tell.

LRE

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Hatton W. Sumners LRE Basic 101: Foundations of Democracy

LRE CALENDAR OF EVENTS 2009 JANUARY

14th

The Foundations of Democracy curriculum developed by the Center for Civic Education addresses the four topics fundamental to understanding government and politics. The program is available for levels PK-12.

Authority

Supreme Court Teacher and School of the Year Nominations Due

•

Distinguish between authority and power

•

Examine different sources of authority

•

Use reasonable criteria for selecting people for positions of authority and for evaluating rules

24th

•

Analyze benefits and cost of authority

•

Evaluation, take, and defend positions on the proper scope and limits of authority

We the People State Finals at the State CapitolAwards Luncheon following at the Oklahoma History Center

28th We the People Competition (Snow Date) At Oklahoma Bar Center FEBRUARY

18th-20th Oklahoma CloseUp Program, Oklahoma Bar Association and State Capitol

28th Representative Democracy in America training at the Oklahoma Bar Center MAY

1st Project Citizen Portfolios Due

6th Project Citizen Showcase

Privacy •

Understand the importance of privacy in a free society

•

Analyze the benefits and cost of privacy

•

Evaluation, take, and defend positions on the proper scope and limits of privacy

Responsibility •

Understand the importance of responsibility in a free society

•

Analyze the benefits and costs of responsibility

•

Evaluate, take, and defend positions on how conflicts among competing responsibilities should be resolved

•

Evaluate, take, and defend positions on personal responsibility

Justice •

Understand and apply the basic principles of justice set forth in fundamental documents of our political and legal systems

•

Consider fair distribution of the benefits and burdens of society

•

Consider fair responses to remedy wrongs and injuries

•

Consider fair practices for gathering information and making decisions

•

Evaluate, take, and defend positions on issues of justice

The Hatton W. Sumners institute provides educators with classroom application workshops and lectures to enhance instruction of the Foundations of Democracy program. Classroom sets of textbooks and instructional materials are available to institute participants FREE of charge. These materials are available for review on a four week basis for curriculum approval.

The second annual ALL EXPENSE PAID Hatton W. Sumners Institute will be held in TULSA, June 15-19, 2009.

In addition to the Foundations of Democracy curriculum, The Bill of Rights Foundation will present their Being an American Program. Participants receive a book containing activities and lesson plans relevant to the study of U.S. Government.

Applications are available online at: www.okbar.org/public/lre/default.htm Register NOW to reserve a seat!

LRE Law-related Education Programs Oklahoma Bar Association P.O. Box 53036 Oklahoma City, OK 73152

Find it Online!

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PRSRTSTD U.S. POSTAGE PAID OKLAHOMA CITY, OK PERMIT NO. 740

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

Tracy Pierce Nester

Law-related Education Coordinator Jane McConnell janem@okbar.org (405) 416-7024

Administrative Assistant

FORMS: Free Materials Request Request for Attorney Speaker

Debra Jenkins debraj@okbar.org (405) 416-7023

APPLICATIONS: PACE XX Institute - OKC Metro Foundations of Democracy - Tulsa Supreme Court Awards

1901 N. Lincoln Blvd.

P.O. Box 53036 Oklahoma City, OK 73152 Toll Free Number: 800-522-8065 FAX: (405) 416-7088