Baton Rouge Bar Foundation Contact: Ann Scarle, Executive Director Leslie Bello, Education Coordinator Baton Rouge Bar Foundation, 850 North Boulevard, Baton Rouge, LA 70802 Activity Summary: John Murry, an eighth-grader is quoted by The Advocate as saying, "the legal process is fair, efficient and effective. It is the only pure thing left in America." He joined approximately 50 schools and 2,000 students in celebrating the Baton Rouge Bar Foundation's Law Week activities. The activities focused on this year's theme, "Celebrate Your Freedom," with the goal of expanding awareness of the law in our lives. Activities included attorneys speaking in area middle and high schools, "Rap Sessions," the formal opening of court for the Naturalization Ceremonies, a Red Mass, a play related to freedom geared toward elementary school students, and a free legal advice clinic open to the public. Activity Narrative: One of the goals of the Baton Rouge Bar Foundation is to educate the youth of the community about the legal system and their role in it. For many years, Law Day has been the culmination of the Foundation's outreach efforts to area teachers and schools during that academic year. In 1997 the Baton Rouge Bar Foundation's Law Week activities began with attorneys teaching in local schools about the role the law plays in everyday life. Students were participants in a landlord/tenant dispute, "Fish Tale," which allows students to serve as judges at the trial, appellate, and supreme court levels. Through this on-going activity, students learned first-hand about the importance of freedom in today's society. Attorneys also spent time in schools discussing the law profession at local career day activities. Several schools were subpoenaed to attend Law Day. A subpoena, signed by the President of the Baton Rouge Bar Association, was served by a uniformed officer to law-related education teachers at local schools. This activity taught students the function of a legal document, while stimulating their interest in attending Law Day. Schools were also invited to participate in a photo contest and poster contest. The photographs and posters had to conform to the theme, "Celebrate Your Freedom." Students explored different ways of expressing themselves and their thoughts on celebrating their freedom. First, second and third place winners were seated on the stage and were presented with a cash award and a certificate. The winning photographs and posters were displayed during Law Week. On May 1, 1997, Law Day activities began with the Red Mass, which was celebrated at St. Joseph's Cathedral. Bishop Alfred Hughes officiated over the ceremony, which focused on the theme "Celebrate Your Freedom." Approximately 1,500 middle and high school students, representing 49 schools, gathered at the Nineteenth Judicial District Court House and the City Court House to attend Law Day activities. The festivities began with "Rap Sessions," which involved judges, lawyers, paralegals, and police officers. During the sessions, students discussed a scenario, which was sent to them prior to the event, with the panel. Students discussed the importance of freedom in a law-abiding society. Each student who attended the event received an information card containing important telephone numbers, a Bill of Rights book mark, and a copy of "Careers and the Law," an informative brochure related to our legal system. Students then attended the formal opening of the United States District Court for the Naturalization Ceremonies. Each of the 66 new American citizens received an American Flag, compliments of the Rotary Club of Baton Rouge. During the ceremonies, the Baton Rouge Bar Foundation presented its Liberty Bell award to a local law-related education high school teacher. In addition, the program consisted of three guest speakers, who each discussed the value of being a United States citizen. Each of the speakers was an immigrant who became a United States citizen. The program brochure, which echoed our theme "Celebrate Your Freedom," was designed by a local ten-year-old student, who was recognized during the ceremony. For the twenty-first year, following the formal ceremonies, the 1,500 students in attendance were treated to a sandwich lunch compliments of area Lions' Clubs and food distributors. As the number of Law Day participants has grown, so has the dedication of our community representatives. In order to feed 1,500 hungry teenagers, representatives from the Lions' Club began preparing lunch at 5:00 a.m. on Law Day. This group of dedicated volunteers epitomize the dedication and commitment which has made the Baton Rouge Bar Foundation Law Day activities truly a community celebration. At this point, it should be noted that due to space constraints, we had to limit participation on May 1 to a record breaking 1,500 students. We were able to accommodate additional teachers and students through our other school outreach activities, including "Fish Tale," described earlier in this narrative. Elementary school students were the target audience for "Jack and the Beanstalk." This mock trial was performed by local judges and attorneys for an inner city school in Baton Rouge. The students played the role of jurors and had to determine the fate of Jack Robinson. Consequently, Jack was found guilty by the students and was sentenced to trash duty after school. A local television station covered this event on the evening news. The Law Day activities concluded on May 9th with an "Ask A Lawyer" community outreach event. Local attorneys staffed a booth at an area shopping mall and provided free legal assistance to the public. Free legal advice was provided to 33 people. Sample Programs Home | By Audience | By Location | By Sponsoring Organization