Mock Trial Teaches Kids About Courts

The courtroom hushed and about 200 eager listeners sat on the edges of their seats as the jury returned its decision in the case of the County of Titan v. Jack Sprat, held in a mock courtroom Thursday at the Laurence 2000 School.

The verdict: Sprat was innocent of charges that he attempted to murder the giant and steal Goldie, a goose that lays cholesterol-lowering eggs.

The verdict and preceding trial were the culmination of a nine-month program aimed at teaching fifth- and sixth-graders the intricacies of the legal system. The 22 kids who took part in the Kid’s Court class participated in the 45-minute trial, which was based on the fairy tale “Jack and the Beanstalk.”

“To see young minds being opened this way was very exciting to me as an educator,” said Marvin Jacobson, director of the private school. “The kids that were in the experience were so well-grounded that what was presented was just really good stuff.”

The prosecution team, consisting of students Tad Pieka, Carly Jablon and Leanne Zackler, tried to prove that Jack stole the golden goose, which had been genetically engineered to lay cholesterol-lowering eggs.

Further, the team tried to show that Jack intentionally tried to kill the giant by chopping down the beanstalk as the giant descended.

The defense team, consisting of students Meredith Rothman, Marissa Levi and Chelsea Greenwood, said Jack was simply retrieving the goose, which had been stolen from his father, and acted in self-defense when he chopped down the beanstalk.

In the end, the jury, which was selected from the student body, decided there was reasonable doubt as to Jack’s guilt and set him free.

“They really dissected the testimony and decided that the defense presented doubts,,” said attorney Lauren Wolke, who wrote the trial’s script along with the students.

“They didn’t believe the giant’s testimony that the [goose] just flew into his yard when he was relaxing one day.”