Homeschool students visit real courtroom for mock trial

Karly Graham, The Petoskey News-Review
·2 min read

PETOSKEY — On Monday morning, a group of homeschool students hosted a mock trial in Judge Angela Lasher’s courtroom.

Trying a faux murder case, the group of students acted as witnesses, prosecuting and defense attorneys and more. They had to state their case for why, or why not, a man should be tried for third degree murder after two people died on a job site.

Nine homeschoolers from Northern Michigan presented a mock trial in Judge Angela Lasher's courtroom on April 22, 2024.
Nine homeschoolers from Northern Michigan presented a mock trial in Judge Angela Lasher's courtroom on April 22, 2024.

The students in the class, hosted by Classical Conversations, learn and study the case throughout the year. They take different courses like logic, for example, to help build their case and understand how to formulate arguments.

“I thought it was really cool,” said Graham Wertman, 13. “We learned a lot about the legal system through that and it was kind of cool being in front of a real judge in the real courtroom.”

On April 22, 2024, homeschool students from throughout Northern Michigan met at the 90th District Court for a mock trial.
On April 22, 2024, homeschool students from throughout Northern Michigan met at the 90th District Court for a mock trial.

Nine homeschoolers from Northern Michigan participated in the event at the 90th District Court, each taking on different roles through two rounds.

Wertman said preparing for the case took a lot of work and it was rewarding to try the case.

“I enjoyed the preparing process, going through all the witness statements and coming up with questions to get out the right information, and it felt nice to get everything off my shoulders,” he said. "I was pretty busy during those few weeks of getting everything ready.”

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Students each held different roles for the mock trial, including the chance to be witnesses or an attorney, for example.
Students each held different roles for the mock trial, including the chance to be witnesses or an attorney, for example.

Tucker Lynn, 14, presented as an attorney during the mock trial as well. He said he liked that there was a structure of a case, but students were still allowed to put their own spin on arguments and how they presented information.

In working the case, Lynn said he thought it was a good mental exercise because he found himself keeping track of and juggling different thoughts at once.

Lynn added that while it was scary presenting in front of professionals, it was comforting when he noticed that they could follow the arguments and the line of questioning.

— Contact reporter Karly Graham at kgraham@petoskeynews.com. Follow her on Twitter at @KarlyGrahamJRN.

This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: Northern Michigan homeschool students visit real courtroom for mock trial