Now Appearing on Local Cable: Innocent or Guilty?
Judge Riggs of the DuPage County Court System Presides Over Case Presented by 5th Graders
Story Update: The video of the trial will appear on Lisle Education Cable Channel 18 on Thursdays and Fridays at 4:30 & 7:30 from 4/17/08 and ending 5/2/08.
Innocent
or Guilty? Students in Mrs. Hurt’s fifth grade Language Arts class
acted as grand jury to indict the king in the fairy tale of
Rumpelstiltskin for forcible detention of the miller’s daughter.
They then developed legal arguments, opening and closing
statements, and questions for the witnesses. On January 16, 2008,
the class presented the case in front of the Honorable Judge Thomas
Riggs from the DuPage County courts. After hearing the case, the
jury, composed of parents and grandparents of the students,
deliberated the fate of the king. Meanwhile, the students were able
to spend time with Judge Riggs and ask him many questions about the
court system and gain an understanding of the laws and standards
which govern our society. The jury then returned and the foreman
read the verdict – Guilty!
We thank Judge Riggs for giving his time and knowledge to the
class, and thank the students for their hard
work.
