April 2001

John Nalivka, School Board Chair
Phone: (541) 473-2649
E-mail: jnalivka@micron.net

Vale School District

BACKGROUND: As CAM and PASS become reality, schools are developing educational experiences that will satisfy these requirements. At Vale High School, Dave Eyler worked with other teachers to develop a mock trial class in 1998 called Law Related Education that integrates a spectrum of standards and provides relevant learning experiences for students through hands-on learning.

Read How Law Related Education Began, Eyler’s description of how he developed this popular class which attracts 30-plus juniors and seniors each year – and a huge contingent of community members.

WHAT THEY DO: Eyler and his students stage a mock trial each year, loosely patterned after the state mock trial competitions among high schools. This year’s project was designed by Eyler and fellow teachers Ebony Hope Hinrich and Lisa Cooper. "I can’t underscore enough the involvement as well as enthusiasm of students, teachers, staff and the community in this annual project," said John Nalivka, Vale School Board chair, in nominating this program as a Salute winner. "It exemplifies everything we are trying to accomplish with the CIM and CAM requirements."

HOW THEY MEET STANDARDS: There’s nothing like a mock fatal car crash to catapult students into real world learning – while meeting 78 of Oregon’s new academic standards, including Career Related Learning Standards. Eyler takes the mock trial concept a step further by involving the community and by integrating curriculum to meet standards for the CIM and CAM. His class helps students meet 78 standards in science, English, social science and math. From writing search warrants and legal arguments, to calculating changes in the speeds of the cars, Eyler provides an ambitiously creative and realistic learning experience for his students.

Students were involved in science (physics), writing and speaking skills and a host of other "learnings" by staging the mock car crash involving seven high school students with one fatality. The class created the story line, constructed the crash site, handled police investigation and detective work, examined forensic evidence and played the roles, including defense and prosecution lawyers, an accident "reconstructionist," paramedics, police, witnesses in each car involved, an automotive specialist and other witnesses. They learned the ropes from studying the legal and criminal justice professions in class, then worked with local police and legal staff from Vale and Malheur County. The project provides solid evidence of students' work and involvement throughout the project. Students work cooperatively with a variety of teachers, community members, and fellow classmates to complete established objectives and tasks.

OTHERS INVOLVED: Community partners in the class included Vale police staff; Malheur County Sheriff’s Department, Oregon State Police, Malheur County District Attorney and Circuit Court Judge, Access Air Ambulance, Vale First Response Team; local newspaper staff and defense attorneys, and community members (jurors).

Retired Circuit Court Judge Frank Yraguen presided over the case, staged April 6 at the courthouse using volunteer courthouse staff. The judge gave many hours of free legal advice to Eyler and his students in building the scenario, as did Mike Padilla, the district’s school resource officer. Community members volunteered as members of the jury and expert witnesses.

HOW LAW RELATED EDUCATION BEGAN
by Dave Eyler, Teacher

In the early nineties, I began teaching social studies at my alma mater, Vale High School. Part of the curriculum in my senior Economics/Government class was the Constitution and law in America. I became very interested in the subject of law and began looking for a way to introduce this content to my students in a fun and meaningful way. I decided to recruit a group of students who had an advanced interest and aptitude in the subject of law and wanted to participate in the state mock trial competition. This was a truly great experience and proved very valuable for myself and the students.

Vale High School participated in the statewide mock trial competition for three years when student interest in competition began to diminish. A few more years passed during which time Vale High School was blessed with the arrival of some young energetic teachers. I was approached by two of our new science teachers, Tom Huston and Kirby Winters about a collaborative project involving our three classes. They were interested in developing a crime scene where, through scientific investigation, they could help solve a case. My class would provide prosecution and defense attorneys as well as a police force. Their classes would do the forensic and scientific analysis. I thought this was a great way to combine and integrate curriculum in a realistic and enjoyable manner. Kirby, Tom, and myself then began developing a criminal scenario which included the specific curriculum we hoped to address in this project. We developed a murder case in which my wife, Lori, was charged with the murder of our athletic director, Tom Snook. Students went to work to develop the case. I had many legal contacts in Vale from the days when we competed in the state mock trial competitions. Also, many friends of mine, including the county sheriff, volunteered their time to work on the case, and students were able to receive excellent training and work experience. We began to see how classroom work and curriculum could be applied to an actual legal case. It allowed hands on learning and students were able to make the connection to the real world of work. Finally, students were able to see the relevance of what they had been learning in class. It all began to make sense to them and us as teachers. We all thought it was a great project and wanted to make it an annual event.

The following year, Law Related Education was offered as an elective at Vale High School. It was open to anyone interested in law but was designed specifically for those seeking a career in a law related field. It falls into the human resources CAM program and addresses many of the standards required for completion of a CAM in that strand. The mock trial project has become the focal point for the Law Related Ed class. Every year, we try to develop a case which will integrate curriculums, involve community members, and provide a relevant learning experience through hands on application. This is the third year of the project and it has grown larger in scope each year. Each project has its own problems and obstacles ,but it has opened the door to new contacts and resources. These new contacts have provided our students with more and better opportunities for learning which is what this class is all about.

It is my hope that eventually this class will meet a large portion of the requirements one would need to receive a CAM in the Human Resources strand. At the very least, it should give them good start toward a CAM. Oregon standards aside, this class and project has proven a very worthwhile endeavor which has made learning fun, provided relevance in learning, and connected our students to the real world of work. I believe it is a good model for the future of education.