The Grey County administration building in Owen Sound. (file photo)
Some students from across the region are taking part in mock trials next week.
Teacher Coach Natasha Wood says on May 22, students from Grey Highlands Secondary School, St. Mary’s Catholic High School, Owen Sound District Secondary School, and Saugeen District Senior School will be taking part in mock trials at the Grey County Administration Building in the Provincial Offences Court.
“It’s really just to get students involved in thinking on their feet, critical thinking skills, public speaking skills, and just to engage with a legal case, this year it is a criminal harassment case,” says Wood.
She says to her knowledge, this is the first time they are hosting mock trials in Owen Sound with the support of the Ontario Justice Education Network (OJEN).
“Right now we have two court rooms that we are using, which we are calling the primary court room and the secondary court room. We will have two cases going at the same time,” says Wood. “We have had some local lawyers working with our team, which has been really nice just to have them working with experts in the field, and we do have two judges that will be judging the cases as well.”
She says while the spots are full for this year’s mock trials, they are looking to expand it and are encouraging interested students and schools to reach out to take part next year.
“Really we can grow it as many schools that want to participate,” says Wood. “”It’s a really unique type of activity for students to get involved in.”
Anyone interested in participating can email Wood at natasha_wood@bwdsb.on.ca or her co-teacher Cory Munro at cory.munro@bwdsb.on.ca, or visit the OJEN website here.
Wood says depending on how successful the mock trials, are, they aim to make it a yearly event.
