Mendham Township Students “Learn to Argue”

Mendham Township, NEW JERSEY (June 7, 2021) – Participating in mock legal trials, a firm favorite with students at Mendham Township Middle School (MTMS), is back! Last week saw the popular return of this activity to the school’s schedule.

Sara Cyr, MTMS Language Arts Teacher - Grade 8, explained how the preparatory and attendant activities required to conduct a mock trial provide an excellent venue for students to apply the skills learned during their middle school years. Before the start of the proceedings, the students must familiarize themselves with the roles and responsibilities of key parties and stakeholders in a typical court. To participate, they must acquire an understanding of courtroom protocol and trial procedures. Then the students must research, read and analyze the background details, legal documents and data, and exhibits available for their court case. As the trials are conducted in real time, the students know they must come prepared with their oral arguments. However, to advocate their party’s interests (either the plaintiff or the defense), they carry the responsibility for applying critical listening skills to witnesses’ answers and being mentally agile to redirect and cross-examine witnesses -- all in a live setting. The engagement by students is phenomenal as a healthy sense of competition is balanced with playing by the rules. Winning fairly is important to these students.

The students are given a safe and structured environment to practice their critical reasoning and public speaking skills. At another level, they have an opportunity to observe the impact and value of crafting a structured storyline and presenting their arguments in a persuasive and ordered manner. In listening to the students make their oral arguments you sense their deep commitment to the school assignment. So taken with their court case, it was interesting to observe the students on one jury already begin to deliberate their verdict as they were exiting the “courtroom.”

The school used two practice law cases this year and students had an opportunity to participate in more than one role as multiple trials were conducted. The trials were conducted on campus with students participating in the roles of judges, court administrators, juries, expert witnesses, lawyers, plaintiffs, and defendants. However, if you wanted to hear the outcome of each trial, you had to be enrolled at the Mendham Township Middle School!