It has been a busy few weeks in our Grade 11 and 12 Law classes. Students completed their final culminating task by participating in a criminal mock trial. The classroom was transformed into a Superior court room. Divided into two groups each team was given a different criminal case. They were assigned roles including, Crown Prosecutors, Defence Council, Witnesses, Judges and Jury Members. The Mock Trial provided the students the opportunity to develop advocacy and inquiry skills, work cooperatively, develop critical thinking, build conflict resolution skills and the art of forming a persuasive, cohesive argument.

We also had the pleasure of welcoming two guest speakers this past week. Mrs. M. Leon a former occasional teacher at HNMCS and recent Jury Member. She shared her experience of being a juror on a very recent criminal case in the region of Peel. She walked the students through the selection process, trial proceedings, all the way to the final deliberation and verdict.

Our second guest speaker was Mrs. Voula Marinos (Mother of Demi Pappas '23) Professor, Department of Child & Youth Studies & Director, Forensic Psychology & Criminal Justice (FPAC) at Brock University. She spoke with the students about Careers in law, Legal Research and a variety of post- secondary opportunities for students interested in the field of law.

The Grade 11 course explores Canadian law, with a focus on legal issues that are relevant to the lives of people in Canada, while the Grade 12 Law course explores a range of contemporary legal issues and how they are addressed in both Canadian and international law. Over the 2-year course, students gain an understanding of laws relating to rights and freedoms in Canada; our legal system; principles of Canadian and international law and of issues related to human rights and freedoms, conflict resolution, and criminal, environmental, and workplace law, both in Canada and internationally. Students will apply the concepts of legal thinking and the legal studies inquiry process, and will develop legal reasoning skills, when investigating these and other issues in both Canadian and international contexts.