Saginaw County Bar Association (MI) Contact: David D. Hoffman Co-Chair, Law Day 2000 Saginaw County Bar Association 727 N. Michigan Ave. Saginaw, Michigan, 48602 Activity Summary: The Saginaw County Lawyers Auxiliary and County Bar Association of Michigan sponsor related activities. There is something for every age group. We sponsor: a Coloring Contest for 3rd grade and under; for the 3rd thru 6th grade a Poster Contest; for 6th to 8th grade an Essay Contest; for high school a Billboard Contest, as well as Court House Tours for the 5th grade and up. High school students also have a chance at the Mock Trial Script Contest, Mock Trials, and Career Day. Additionally, we make an award to an outstanding teacher (the Golden Apple) and present a $500 college scholarship. We also offer the F.H. Martin Award and the Liberty Bell Outstanding Citizens Award, and coordinate the Attorney Speakers Bureau and a Law Day banquet. Activity Narrative: The Saginaw County Lawyers Auxiliary and the Saginaw County Bar Association in Michigan have developed many activities as part the Law Day celebration in the county. Eighteen committee members started meeting monthly in September 1999 to coordinate Law Day efforts for 2000. Weekly meetings were held closer to Law Day. The contests were all based around the ABA yearly theme of "Speak Up for Democracy and Diversity." 2000 marked the 6th annual Coloring Contest. The design featured the Statue of Liberty. A one-page teaching lesson explained its importance as a symbol of hope, freedom and liberty to millions of Americans. Each year a design is chosen with the goal of fostering appreciation of a great American icon. Materials for third grades and under were distributed to 81 elementary schools and several libraries, toy stores and pre-schools. Eight winners were selected at random from close to 500 entries, and received $25 gift certificates to a local toy store. The 2000 Poster Contest encouraged classrooms of third through sixth grade students in eighty-nine schools to explore the importance of diversity in a democracy. Many children depicted the freedoms of choice we have that allow our citizens to be diverse, such as the freedom of religion, and the importance of diverse cultures and political beliefs. A winner from each grade level received a $50 U.S. Savings Bond and four tickets to attend the county Law Day Banquet with their teacher and two family members. The 28th annual Essay Contest materials were sent to 45 schools in the county. The local contest was conducted according to the rules of the state competition, with winners being sent on to the state level. The essay winners received $100 U.S. Savings Bonds at the county Law Day Awards Banquet. This year two of our local 7th grade winners received first and second place in the state contest. The challenging assignment for this year's contest was to answer a public policy "should" question that fit into the theme of "Speak Up For Democracy and Diversity." The essays were of a much better quality than in past years. For example, the first-place eighth-grade entry was written on the topic of whether racial preferences should be a consideration when hiring teachers. The discussion included the Civil Rights Acts of 1964 and 1965, and a Supreme Court case that found a policy to set aside places for "disadvantaged" applicants for admission to a California university to be unconstitutional. The student concluded that the most qualified persons should be hired as teachers, without any regard being given to their race, sex, or religion. The Billboard Contest challenges high school art students, computer graphics students and government students to create a design for a billboard to promote our Law Day celebration. The winning entry was reproduced as an outdoor billboard at two locations. The winner received a $100 U.S. Savings Bond. The design was also used on the cover of the Career Day and Evening Law Day Programs. Ceramic mugs were decorated with the winning design and presented to Mock Trial teacher advisors and to the winners of the various contests. Judges, law enforcement officers and attorneys spoke to around 280 students at Career Day. Mock Trials were held at the courthouse in the afternoon. Fourteen teams, each aided in preparations by a volunteer attorney-advisor, participated in the court house using a script created in the Mock Trial Script Contest by a local high school the year before. At the Law Day Awards Banquet, attended by approximately 300 adults and students, many people were honored. The Golden Apple Award is presented to a teacher that has nurtured student interest in law-related curriculum. The Liberty Bell Award is given to a non-attorney whose contributions to advancing an understanding of the law and support of the legal profession have been exemplary. The F.H. Martin Award is presented to an individual who by his or her actions over the years has demonstrated continuous and strong support for Law Day in Saginaw County. In addition to Law Day activities, Court House Tours guided by Auxiliary tour guides are provided throughout the year to any interested schools. A "Late Show" program has volunteer readers go to the Saginaw County Juvenile home every Tuesday to read excerpts from books over the intercom. An Attorney Speakers Bureau provides speakers at any time of the year. Sample Programs Home | By Audience | By Location | By Sponsoring Organization