J.K. Mullen High School Contact: Barbara Figg Social Studies Teacher J.K. Mullen High School 3601 S. Lowell Blvd. Denver, CO 80236-3007 E-mail: figg@mullen.pvt.k12.co.us Mullen Law Day 2002 Activity Summary: Law Day 2002 was a government project advertised with television announcements and posters hung about the school. Approximately 150 students created displays addressing pressing legal questions. They were displayed throughout the school May 1st. In the morning we had a panel of speakers that talked for an hour about their roles in the legal system and views on legal matters. Mullen was decorated with balloons and arrows directing people to booths around the school where everyone was encouraged to participate by filling out questionnaires, picking up brochures, taking part in polls, and more. It was an overall success. Activity Narrative: This was Mullen High School's first attempt at participating in Law Day. We weren't quite sure what to expect, but we did our best to spread an awareness of the law to the Mullen community. We feel that more than half (600 people) of the Mullen community were affected in some way by our presentation. Many students participated in creating booths, the faculty and staff were very supportive, and other students were reached through posters, video announcement, surveys, and just the availability, of the event. We felt that it was important especially after the events of September 11th. Many of our civil liberties have been called into question in the past months, and it is now even more important to know what our rights are. It appears that one of the repercussions of the tragic events is that not everyone is assured equal justice under the law. We took it upon ourselves to find the areas in our government that were not promoting total equality. We also struggled to find the values that need to be imprinted into our society. We tried to decide if and when safety overrides our liberties as citizens. We brought in a panel of varied legal and political experts to give us their thoughts about the topic. We also set up booths to ensure that students and adults knew their rights. In setting up our community booths, we attempted to make it as fun, informative, and as personable as possible to students, school staff, and our community. To start with, we looked around our society to find areas of the law that were of concern to us. A variety of topics came from this including, Prisons, Crimes, Gun Laws, Hate Crimes, Domestic Violence, Assault and Battery, Sexual Assault, Pedophiles, Insanity Plea, Death Penalty, Euthanasia, Traffic Curfew, School Laws, Drug Laws, Drinking Laws, DUI/DWI, 4th Amendment, and 1st Amendment. We then researched to find court cases and current events that supported our ideas. The class found the history of many laws and why they were created in the first place. Some students even conducted surveys to find out the public's views. After all of the information was compiled they were put into creative displays. The data was compiled into binders and reproduced for the display boards. Many groups made fliers and handouts to pass out that highlighted the important facts. At every booth there were free pencils and buttons (donated by Mullen Social Studies Department), balloons, suggestion cards, and a suggestion box. There was also a Public Relations Group made up of five students who created a central booth, in the main lobby, containing general information and with arrows directing people to areas where other booths were located. This group was in charge of organizing the entire event getting approvals to set up the area, decorating, publicizing, getting panel to speak, and much more. Once we discovered our views, we contacted the experts. A panel of six legal experts was invited to come and speak before the school. The panel was made up of Senator Joan Fitz-Gerald (District #13 Democratic State Senator), Mr. Dante Zarlengo (civil attorney), Denver District Attorney Bill Ritter, Mr. G. Anthony Yuthas (civil attorney involved with Street Law), District Court Magistrate John DeVita (First Judicial District), and Mr. Dipak Patel (Intake Director for the American Civil Liberties Union). They informed us about their jobs and their roles in the legal system. There was discussion on how they got there and where they hope to be in the future and information about what projects they were currently working on. The panel then discussed their view of equal protection under the law. Most believed that our current government does a fairly good job at keeping things as equal as possible, but there were exceptions. Mr. Zarlengo stated that money is often a factor in court cases and whoever has the most money to spend on legal counsel often comes out the victor. Mr. Yuthas agreed, and also brought up public defenders and their service to the poor. Mullen Moms (a community group) provided a continental breakfast for students, speakers, and visitors prior to the panel discussion. The speakers were presented with official Law Day cups and pencils and Law Day pins donated by the Mullen Social Studies Department. Sample Programs Home | By Audience | By Location | By Sponsoring Organization