HILLSBOROUGH -- Eighth-grade students from Orange Charter School are scheduled to experience a day in the Orange County Courthouse Friday. They will use the courthouse to stage a mock trial of an 1860 civil rights case that determined whether or not slavery would be allowed in the state of California.
The student lawyers will take the testimonies of different groups of people and use it to argue if slavery should or should not be allowed in the United States.
"I am very excited to have this opportunity to use the historic Hillsborough courtroom for this lesson," said Jesse Doty, an eighth-grade history teacher. "I have taught this lesson for seven years but always in my classroom. It will be a great experience for myself as well as my students to take part in this lesson outside of the school."
By taking students out of the classroom and placing them in the courtroom, they will experience a unique way of learning such an important part of American history.
"Taking roles in the trial helps students understand how the issues in this 1860 case affected living human beings," Orange Charter Principal Mark Borkowski, said. "They don't simply read about the thoughts and feelings of the people involved; they experience them."
Orange Charter School serves students in grades K-8. Many students enter the school during the middle school grades after attending area elementary schools. Orange Charter School was founded in 1996 to offer families more choices in public education.
