Mock Trial Program Kicks off with Record 34 Teams in 15 School Districts
Following five in-person and one virtual orientation for 150 volunteer Legal Mentors and Teacher Coordinators, Discovering Justice is excited to be ringing in its 24th year of its Mock Trial Program. With 35 teams, this is the largest set of participants yet, with more than 400 student attorneys being trained from Pittsfield to New Bedford.
In addition to returning partners that have been with the program for over a decade, we are excited to welcome first-time schools and partners.
Thanks go out to our dedicated Mock Trial partners Brockton Public Schools, Committee for Public Counsel Services Worcester, Lowell Public Schools, Jones Day, and Springfield Public Schools who hosted the orientations for Legal Mentors and Teacher Coordinators. More than 150 partners came together with fellow participants in their cities to learn and connect to plan for this semester’s case. Pivoting from the virtual orientations that were introduced at the outset of COVID, these collaborative planning sessions provided teams with the opportunity to brainstorm, troubleshoot, and address the program’s unique needs in each city. In Brockton, District Court Judge Michelle Fentress and in Springfield, U.S District Court Judge Katherine Robertson joined the orientations to speak about their love for the program and the community impact they’ve witnessed over the years.
With the Program well underway, Community Partnership Manager Malia Brooks is making plans for Federal and State judges to visit the teams midway through the program. At these sessions, students will have the opportunity to learn about the role of a judge and meet with them in a more casual setting prior to their trial date in December.
As part of the Mock Trial final events the weeks of December 11th and 18th, we invite family, caregivers, colleagues, and community members to fill the jury box. If you are interested in volunteering for this fun and engaging 2-hour event, please contact Malia Brooks at mbrooks@discoveringjustice.org
Discovering Justice Fall 2023 Mock Trial Teams
Boston
- Blackstone Elementary / Mintz - Lawyers for Civil Rights
- Boston Latin Academy / U.S Attorney's Office
- Boston Latin School / City of Boston Legal Department
- Brooke Charter School East Boston / Vertex
- Ellis K-6 School / DLA Piper
- Hernández K-8 School / WilmerHale
- Mildred Ave K-8 School / GE - JonesDay
- St. John School / Goodwin - Boston University School of Law
Brookline
- Florida Ruffin Ridley School / Massachusetts Attorney General's Office
- Runkle School / Attys. Jonathan Simpson, Joshua Dupuy, Patty Correa, & Susan Howards
Cambridge
- Rindge Avenue Upper Campus (RAUC) / Takeda Pharmaceuticals
Medford
- Medford Public Schools / Atty. Kathleen Maloney
- St. Raphael Parish School / Attys. Elise Kopley & Mark Rumley
Waltham
- McDevitt Middle School / Morse, The Law Office of Kevin M. Dwyer, Jr. & Pyle Rome Ehrenberg PC
Framingham
- Cameron Middle School / Middlesex District Attorney’s Office, Dell, & Atty. Joe Shields
Brockton
- North Middle School / Plymouth County Bar Association, Atty. Keith Durden
- East Middle School / Committee for Public Counsel Services - Brockton Children and Family Law Office
- South Middle School / Committee for Public Counsel Services - Brockton
- West Middle School / Plymouth County District Attorney’s Office
Lowell
- Daley Middle School / Committee for Public Counsel Services - Lowell
- Robinson Middle School / Middlesex District Attorney’s Office
- Stoklosa Middle School / Freitas & Freitas LLP
- Sullivan Middle School /Attys. Karen Sheehan, Atty. Jomarie Buckley, & Atty. Ryan Sullivan
New Bedford
- Normandin Middle School / UMass Law School
Pittsfield
- Reid Middle School / Atty. Jennifer Carpenter, Atty. Miriam Maduro, & Atty. Ryan Cummins
Providence
- Nathan Bishop Middle School / U.S Attorney’s Office Rhode Island
Springfield
- Duggan Academy / MassMutual & Western New England School of Law
- Renaissance School / Committee for Public Counsel Services - Springfield Youth Advocacy Division
- South End Middle School / Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office - Western Mass
- STEM Middle School / Hampden County Lawyers for Justice
- Roger L. Putnam Vocational - Technical Academy
West Springfield
- West Springfield Middle School / Central West Justice Center
South Hadley
- Pioneer Valley Performing Arts / Bulkley Richardson
Worcester
- Forest Grove Middle School / Committee for Public Counsel Services - Worcester
- Sullivan Middle School / Worcester County Bar Association
Elementary School Teachers Dive Deep into Children Discovering Justice Curriculum
More than 100 Grade K-3 teachers across six school districts are participating in Discovering Justice-led Professional Learning Cohorts (PLCs) to help prepare them to teach the innovative Children Discovering Justice (CDJ) curriculum.
“The Cohort model is a great way for teachers to collaborate and problem solve with colleagues who are also prioritizing civics and social studies instructional time in their classrooms,” said Education Program Director, Laura Brenner, who helped develop the updated curriculum. Some of these cohorts bring together educators from across an entire school district, others are school-based cohorts.
Throughout the school year teachers will meet to unpack, debrief, and plan lessons from Children Discovering Justice, which is a Massachusetts standards based supplemental civics and social studies curriculum. Led by Brenner, teachers will reflect on challenges, problem solve, and explore and share culturally responsive civic pedagogical practices.
With social studies being one of the most marginalized subjects in elementary classrooms, with limited time for teachers to plan, teach, and receive professional development around, these cohorts are extra important to support educators and our students in accomplishing this important work.
“Teaching the Children Discovering Justice curriculum and supporting its implementation district-wide can have a profound impact on my students, equipping them with the knowledge, skills, and values necessary to become informed, active, and responsible citizens in a democratic society,” said Katie Xie, a Third Grade Boston Public School teacher.
As the Grade K-3 curriculum is being used in more than 25 school districts, Discovering Justice is also developing a Grade 4 curriculum in which students will explore regions of the U.S., geography and map skills, and focus on present and past justice advocates across the nation.
In addition to running this year-long cohorts, Discovering Justice provides professional development to districts and schools interested in implementing the free Children Discovering Justice curriculum. To learn more about CDJ, visit our website here. To inquire about professional development for your school or district, contact Laura Brenner at lbrenner@discoveringjustice.org.
Massachusetts Legislature Overrides Governor Healey’s Civics Veto
On October 5th, the Massachusetts Senate voted to override Governor Healey’s veto of the Civics Project Trust Fund.
This vote, coupled with the Massachusetts’ House vote the week before, officially reconfirms the Commonwealth’s investment in civic education for the upcoming school year. The FY24 budget increased the Civics Project Trust Fund by 25% to $2,500,000.
“This victory is a testament to the widespread support and importance of civic education for our students,” said Discovering Justice Executive Director Matt Wilson, who is the Advocacy Chair of the Massachusetts Civic Learning Coalition, a group of 60+ civic education organizations and supporters in the Commonwealth.
In July, the Legislature voted to increase funding to the Trust Fund by $500,000 for the second year in a row. The increase this year was vetoed by Governor Healey who proposed a $500,000 cut to the Trust Fund. You can read more about the override vote in this CommonWealth Magazine article
The override restores funding for civic education and will support:
- An increased number of local grants for school districts to support civic education
- Professional Development for our civics teachers through the Professional Learning Pathways Program
- Development of Investigating History, civics curriculum for Grades 3 and 4
- Civic Showcases to highlight the projects of 8th graders and high school students
Discovering Justice currently works with the Boston, Chelsea, Dennis-Yarmouth, Hopkinton, Springfield, and West Springfield school districts, all which have received funds from the Civics Project Trust Fund.
Thanks to all the Discovering Justice supporters who sent notes to their Senators and Representatives encouraging their support for civic education.
Discovering Justice Fellows Fall 2023
Meet Discovering Justice’s three Fall 2023 Fellows, who make up the seventh class of young professionals who are spending a semester working on Discovering Justice programs.
Jacob Levitt - Elementary Civics Fellow
Jacob Levitt earned a B.S. in social studies education at Boston University and is currently enrolled in the M.E.d program in Curriculum and Instruction at Boston College. He has spent the past four years working in the classroom in various roles, including as a Civics Coach with Generation Citizen. He is focused on exploring how community assets can promote social-emotional skill development and equity for students.
In his role as Elementary Civics Fellow, Jacob works with K-5 Curriculum Developer Victoria Suri to create and implement curricula that empowers students with the knowledge and skills necessary to effect change in their communities and participate in our democracy.
Vince Papillo - Mock Trial Fellow
Vince is a 3rd-year student studying Environmental Studies and Political Science at Northeastern University. He is a member of Northeastern Mock Trial team and is looking forward to using his knowledge of mock trial, education, and Google Workplace to effectively work with the Discovering Justice team.
Vince is working with Community Partners Manager Malia Brooks to make sure Legal Mentors and Teacher Coordinators are set with the materials and resources they need to help create a positive law learning experience for more than 400 student attorneys.
Catherine Chaladoff - Courthouse Programs Fellow
Catherine is a Junior at Northeastern University where she is pursuing a major in Politics, Philosophy, and Economics, along with a minor in Law and Public Policy. She was born and raised in Montclair, NJ. In addition to her studies, Catherine supports the University by serving as a Summer Ambassador, Teaching Assistant (Connections and Decisions), and NU Bound Mentor.
Catherine is the Courthouse Programs Fellow, working with Courthouse Program Manager Kiara Batista to run Field Trips and lead Tours at the Moakley Courthouse.
Discovering Justice Staff Openings - Please Share
Discovering Justice is looking to fill two important staff positions to support its innovative and growing civic education programs for Massachusetts students.
Development and Administrative Associate
As the Development and Administrative Associate, you'll be working closely with the Chief Operating Officer to ensure that our administrative and development systems are running smoothly. On the development side, you will be an essential member of our fundraising team engaged in the identification and stewardship of small and major donors, foundations, and gala sponsors. You will also coordinate our annual online auction which is a component of the annual gala, our biggest fundraiser of the year.
You will be responsible for helping to ensure the successful migration of data this fall to a new system (Salesforce to EveryAction) and then manage and update our CRM. Once the migration is complete, you will work with and train all staff members to enable them to utilize EveryAction effectively within their work and programs.
You will support finance and accounting work in a multitude of ways, from processing checks and online donations to creating monthly reports for our accountants. You will oversee our office space and help to ensure that we have the resources and capacity to continue to deliver high quality programs to our students, educators, and volunteers across the Commonwealth.
All of your responsibilities will be in alignment with our core values, ensuring every step we take resonates with our mission and unwavering commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Communications and Development Senior Associate
As the Communications and Development Senior Associate, you'll be the driving force behind promoting Discovering Justice’s programs, cultivating and stewarding our partners, and helping raise the resources to make our programs flourish. You'll not just be managing; you'll be creating and delivering our messages that align with our core values, ensuring every step we take resonates with our mission and unwavering commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.
The Senior Associate will work with the Executive Director to coordinate the effective implementation of the communications plan and the development work.
The Senior Associate is responsible for coordinating the organization’s communications to its wide range of partners and supporters. School district leaders, school administrators and teachers help implement our unique civic education programs. The Massachusetts legal community, which includes judges, lawyers, and courthouse staff, provide the expertise and perspectives to give students a behind the scenes look at our justice system.
All of the work is supported by a diverse set of financial supporters including charitable foundations, corporate donors, and individual contributors. The Senior Associate will work with the Executive Director to craft and implement a compelling communications plan to steward these partners and build a sustainable set of support for the organization.
For more information, please contact us at careers@discoveringjustice.org.
Discovering Justice Partnering with First Circuit Court and new Breyer Center
Discovering Justice is proud to announce a new partnership with the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit to bring more civic education programs to students in the First Circuit’s jurisdiction, which includes Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Puerto Rico.
One of the cornerstones of the First Circuit’s work is the creation of The Stephen G. Breyer Community Learning Center on Courts and the Constitution. The Center will engage teachers and learners throughout the First Circuit to discover firsthand how the judicial system, the courts, and the Constitution impact our lives.
"With Discovering Justice as a partner, we are confident that the Breyer Center will become a signature means by which the First Circuit engages with the people that it serves about the vital role that courts play in our democracy, " said Chief Judge David Barron of the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit.
Discovering Justice will partner with the First Circuit to help the Breyer Center serve as a vibrant learning space, engaging students, community members, judges, prominent speakers in the legal and education communities, members of the bar, and state, local and international court partners.
“We are excited to partner with the First Circuit to offer civic engagement activities to learners of all ages and backgrounds through teacher training, field trips, speaker panels, mock trials and Courthouse tours,” said Discovering Justice Executive Director Matt Wilson.
The Breyer Center will include a training room, and exhibition space with permanent and rotating exhibitions, read-alongs and oral histories, interactive civics displays, and
the presentation of First Circuit historical materials. The Breyer Center is expected to officially open in the fall of 2024. For additional information, please visit the Breyer Center website.
Art Exhibit at the Courthouse: Students Discovering Justice at the Moakley
Through December, Moakley Courthouse staff and visitors can visit an art exhibit that highlights students participating in Discovering Justice civic education programs.
The art display, a collection of ten photos, highlights students ages six to sixteen engaging in Discovering Justice programs. Middle school students from across the Commonwealth are pictured engaging in our Mock Trial and Mock Appeal Programs and students from Boston Public Schools, who use our Children Discovering Justice curriculum, are captured participating in Field Trips at the Moakley where they explore the question: What is Justice, and how can I use my voice to advocate for it?
The exhibit, located on the second floor at the Moakley, showcases photos by photographer Reba Saldanha and former Discovering Justice Fellow Megan Schneider.
Mock trial students in the Jury Assembly Hall at the Moakley Courthouse during the opening ceremony of the 2023 Boston mock trial culminating event. Alan Zhao and Cleo Barowsky, in the center, are student attorneys from Boston Latin School.
Photo by Reba Saldanha, reba@rebaphoto.com.
Middle School students, looking down from the 7th floor Moakley. Students examine and discuss the meaning of the nine Ellsworth Kelly panels centered in the Courthouse Rotunda. These panels are the only permanent art in the building.
Photo by Megan Schneider, megschneid13@gmail.com.
Judge Judith G. Dein, Magistrate Judge, U.S. District Court, District of Massachusetts, meeting with students from UP Academy Boston during a judge’s visit. Every semester, the mock trial teams meet with a judge in their community to prepare for their final event. The students also learn from other legal professionals during these visits.
Photo by Megan Schneider, megschneid13@gmail.com.
Discovering Justice announces Lisa Perez Tighe as its new Mock Trial and Mock Appeal Program Manager
Discovering Justice is excited to announce that Lisa Perez Tighe will be the organization's new Mock Trial and Mock Appeal Program Manager. She will start in her position on November 1.
Tighe comes to Discovering Justice with significant experience and background with civic education work and programs. She participated in Mock Trial in high school while living in the Bronx, went on to NYU law school, and practiced law for eight years. She coached Mock Trial teams as an undergrad, while in law school, and as a practicing attorney, and is coming to Discovering Justice after eight years at Liberty Mutual, one of Discovering Justice's longest running partners.
“I am thrilled to join Discovering Justice and further its mission to help young people understand the inner workings and ideals of our justice system as well as its connection to a healthy democracy,” said Tighe. “Partnering with teachers, administrators, attorneys and justices to fulfill this promise is exciting and I can’t wait to start.”
Tighe will join the staff in November and looks forward to getting out into the field to meet the 35 Mock Trial teams at their afternoon sessions or at the culminating Mock Trial events.
Thanks to the Legal Mentors, teachers, and students for all their patience and support as we move through this transition time between Managers.
Become a Monthly Discovering Justice Member - Receive a Tote Bag and a Tour of the Moakley Courthouse
We are not public radio, but maybe the next best thing. With our programs bursting at the seams, we are looking for our supporters to deepen their support of our work and become monthly donors to help us build the capacity we need to bring our innovative programs to students all across Massachusetts.
For a $10 a month contribution, we will send you a Discovering Justice Tote Bag.
For a $25 a month contribution, we will send you a a Discovering Justice Tote Bag and invite you and up to seven, friends, family, or colleagues, for a one-hour tour to explore the beauty, art, and architecture of the Moakley Federal Courthouse in the Seaport District of Boston with Courthouse Program Manager Kiara Batista.