Washington County Bar Association (PA) Contact: Kathleen Sabol, Executive Director Washington County Bar Association 30 E. Beau Street, Suite 523 Washington, PA 15301 Email: washbar@cobweb.net Law Day Celebration Activity Summary: Activities included an extensive Speakers Bureau and Courthouse Tours (13 schools/1,000 students) and student “Celebrate Your Freedom” poster and essay contests (300 entries) with winning entries recognized in the newspaper. A Law Day Luncheon featured Liberty Bell and contest awards and hosted elected officials and members of the bench, bar, community, and schools (150 attended). Newspapers in Education Law Day supplements were published on “The Law” for grades 2-5 and “Conflict Resolution” for grades 6-12 (30 schools/9,500 students). For two weeks, a Main Street window Law Day display across from the Courthouse showcased ABA Bill of Rights and contest posters. Activity Narrative: Budget: $2,290 ($1,500 for newspaper supplements printing, $790 for Law Day Luncheon) Our Law Day activities this year were specifically designed to educate a wider public audience. Our outreach increased significantly due to the effective co-sponsorship of the Observer-Reporter Newspapers in Education (NIE) program, which allowed us greater access to the schools. We more than doubled the number of our Law Day financial sponsors/partners, with school partnerships increasing by at least 300% (a conservative estimate!). This was quite possibly our most effective Law Day to date, with the luncheon attendance the highest it has ever been, our Speakers Bureau and Courthouse Tour schedule the busiest, and Law Day goals, materials and activities prominently publicized. “Celebrate Your Freedom” contests. To reach students of every age, we added an elementary school poster contest to our essay and photography contests. Although we didn’t have any photo submissions this year, the number of essay entries increased by 25% and we received 180 poster entries. By partnering with NIE, we were able to publicize the contests more effectively and directly to the participating NIE schools and teachers. Prizes were sponsored by our Law Day partners: Mellon Bank, Washington Federal Savings Bank and Washington Crown Center. Newspaper Supplements. Our cost (65% of our total budget) for the Law Day newspaper supplements was small compared to the wide exposure it gave us and the number of students and teachers who will eventually receive them (9,500 to date). The elementary school supplement, “The Law,” featured the winning poster contest entry on the front page and a special back page created by the Observer-Reporter on the history and upcoming centennial of the Washington County Courthouse. A special cover was also designed for “Conflict Resolution.” On delivery days (just prior to May 1st), phone calls requesting more copies would pour into NIE: teachers and principals liked what they saw and wanted more. Requests for the “Conflict Resolution” supplement, written for middle and high school students, also increased after the Columbine, Colorado tragedy. Lawyers who visited classrooms as part of our Speakers Bureau discussed the supplements and how their content related to the “Celebrate Your Freedom” Law Day theme. Thank you letters from the teachers indicated that the material was or would be incorporated into their curriculum. WCBA will also be using the supplements throughout the year in all of our public education efforts, thus further expanding their impact. Speakers Bureau/Courthouse Tours. Cross promotion of the “Celebrate Your Freedom” contests through the NIE program provided us with almost more engagements than our members - - about 250 in-county - - could handle. Official classroom visits (and many more “unofficially” through lawyers directly) were presented by WCBA members to approximately 900 students. Courthouse Tours were somewhat limited due to trial term. Even so, nearly 200 students received tours and a short presentation by either a judge or the court administrator. In all, about 13 schools (compared to four in 1998) scheduled a classroom visit or tour. Due to demand, we extended our special Law Day schedule to the end of the school year to include schools unable to participate from mid-April to mid-May. Main Street Publicity. Law Day promotional materials were displayed (April 26 through May 3) in a vacant display window on Main Street. The area, directly across the street from the Courthouse, is the busiest in our downtown with hundreds of people passing by daily. ABA Bill of Rights posters, the winning “Celebrate Your Freedom” poster contest entries, and other Law Day materials were decorated with patriotic bunting and balloons. Our objective of visibility was successful: owners of Stimmell’s Floral Shoppe, who donated the space, said “at least a dozen” people even visited their store to compliment the display and ask about Law Day. Law Day Luncheon. Our May 4th luncheon featured Joel Pretz, Pittsburgh region mediation coordinator for the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and award presentations. Our Liberty Bell Award recipient, Dwayne Durham, delivered a poignant acceptance speech which referred to recent tragedies in schools around the country. The Pledge of Allegiance was led by WCBA member, Tom Panian, a Vietnam veteran and Navy Cross recipient. Invitations were mailed to 500 people: 315 to WCBA members. Out of the 150 attendees - our highest attendance ever - 50% were members of the bench or bar; 40% representatives of community agencies, contest winners and their teachers and families, Law Day sponsors and the general public; and 10% elected or government officials. Sample Programs Home | By Audience | By Location | By Sponsoring Organization