Law Magnet Gives Kids Trial Run

Five Monroe High School Law and Government Magnet students sat around a conference table Thursday at City Hall East, chatting with Los Angeles City Atty. James Hahn.

“What do you think about the Langdon Street gang injunction?” the city’s top civil lawyer asked the North Hills sophomores.

The legal eagles responded intelligently and passionately about the two new gang injunctions they had learned about that morning, then went on to discuss charter reform and school safety during the one-hour meeting with Hahn.

“These kids are the best and the brightest,” said Deputy City Atty. John Rocke.

The lawyer, who accompanied the students downtown, heads an internship program at Van Nuys Municipal Court that offers the magnet students the opportunity to learn firsthand about legal procedures, from arrests to arraignments.

The four-year Monroe law and government program, which enrolls about 400 students, was created eight years ago to teach legal principles and procedures.

The students sit in on trials, participate in school mock trials and talk to judges, court officials and attorneys. They also attend five-week internships at municipal court, the district attorney’s office or with area legislators.

“We’ve had to write an appellate brief and argue it in front of a real judge,” said 15-year-old Nassira Nicola. “The program’s tough but rewarding.”

KUDOS

Arts Scholar: Allison Ramirez, a freshman at Los Angeles County High School for the Arts, was recently named a 1999 California Arts Scholar. The La Crescenta musician began playing the violin five years ago through a La Crescenta Elementary School program. Since then, she has performed with the Glendale Honors Orchestra and the Pasadena Youth Symphony. Allison and other honorees will be recognized Thursday at the 13th annual California Arts Scholars Recognition Day ceremony at the Paramount Pictures lot.

APPOINTMENTS

Rose Dunn has been named principal of Round Meadow Elementary School in Calabasas, effective in the fall. The longtime educator was president of the Las Virgenes Educators Assn. for three years and recently served as an administrative intern at Lupin Hill Elementary School in Calabasas . . . Allan Weiner, assistant principal at Cleveland High School, will take over the principal’s post at the Reseda school beginning July 1 . . . Martha Serrano was recently named principal of Paraclete High School in Quartz Hill, effective July 1. She currently serves as vice principal and dean of studies at the Antelope Valley Catholic school.

END NOTES

Reseda High School is accepting applications for its new Gifted/Highly Gifted Academy for Advanced Studies. For information and applications, call Charlotte Schweiger at (818) 342-6186 . . . Taft High School will host a Mentor Fair from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday for those interested in assisting elementary, middle and high school students in the Canoga Park/El Camino/Taft Cluster. For information, call (818) 348-8770 . . . The public is invited to a literacy fair Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Birmingham High School in Van Nuys. Children’s authors will be on hand for story-telling . . . El Camino Real High School’s theater arts workshop presents “Fiddler on the Roof” at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Friday and June 10 and 11 in the Little Theatre on the Woodland Hills campus. Admission is $8 for students, $10 for adults. For information, call (818) 888-8920.