Public Notice Detail
Metro Area Students to Learn About Court System from Supreme Court Justices at Special History Center Event
Posted: Thursday, October 11, 2001
The program is a joint effort by the Judicial Branch and the Minnesota Historical Society, which will temporarily remove the Constitution from its archives for a special viewing by students in attendance. Participating schools include: St. Paul Central High School, Academy of Holy Angels, St. Agnes, St. Thomas Academy, St. Anthony Village High School, Washington Technology Magnet Middle School and The Tesseract School in Eagan.
Meanwhile, judges and attorneys across the state will celebrate Minnesota Constitution Day by going “back to school” to teach students about the judicial branch. The program is projected to reach more than 12,000 middle and high school students statewide. The response to the event has been overwhelming, with twice as many students participating this year than did in the first year of the program in 2000.
The History Center event and “back to school” visits, which will feature an educational videotape about the court system, are part of a statewide effort to help middle and high school students understand the Constitution, the Judicial Branch and the importance of citizen participation in government.
Minnesota Supreme Court Chief Justice Kathleen A. Blatz has often said that the judiciary is the “least understood branch of government.” Judges believe this educational effort will be an effective tool to improve understanding.
Last year, the 20-minute videotape was sent to social studies teachers at every middle and high school in the state. The video was designed to meet state graduation standards criteria so teachers can use it as a classroom teaching tool about government. When judge and attorney volunteers visit classrooms October 12, they will play the videotape, talk about the workings of the court system and answer students’ questions.
According to recent statistics from the National Assessment of Educational Progress, only 30 percent of high school seniors showed proficiency in the basic principles of the court system, and 28 percent in the U.S. Constitution. Moreover, a 1999 survey from the American Bar Association showed that in addition to formal civics education, most people would like to learn about the court system from judges and attorneys.
Curriculum guides that provide lessons on court cases highlighted in the video and other topics related to Minnesota’s courts are available for teachers to download from the state court web site at www.courts.state.mn.us.
The program commemorates the 144th anniversary of the Minnesota Constitution. On October 13, 1857, Minnesotans ratified the state constitution, which prescribes the three branches of government and spells out citizens’ rights and liberties.
Governor Jesse Ventura will proclaim Oct. 12, 2001 as Minnesota Constitution Day in honor of the educational project and its participants. The program is sponsored by the state’s Judicial Branch, the Minnesota State Bar Association, the Minnesota Department of Children, Families and Learning, and the Minnesota Center for Community Legal Education.
Who: Metro area students; Chief Justice Kathleen Blatz and members of the MN Supreme Court; and Commissioner Christine Jax of the Minnesota Department of Children, Families and Learning; volunteer judges and attorneys
What: Constitution Day – Students learn about the Judicial Branch from Justices of the Supreme Court and view the original state constitution. Also, 12,000 students statewide learn about the judiciary from volunteer judge or attorney. (Contact MN Court Information Office at 651-297-5532 to find out which metro area schools are participating.)
When: History Center event - 10 a.m., MN Constitution Day, Oct. 12, 2001. Classroom visits across the state – throughout the day, Oct. 12, 2001
Where: History Center Event - MN History Center Auditorium, 345 West Kellogg Blvd., St. Paul, MN. Classroom visits will take place across the state, including many metro area schools