Supreme Court Learning Center gives students glimpse of careers Middle school students tour hands-on museum, hear from Justice Cavanagh

By Cynthia Price Legal News Middle school students who visited the Michigan Courts' Learning Center last month discovered a lot about careers in the law, but they are also gained information that will help them be better citizens. Young Vinh Nguyen, a student at City Middle School in Grand Rapids, said he is not sure at this point what his career path will be, but he is enthusiastic about learning more on people's rights, the Constitution and the justice system. When the group of about 20 students from all over the state (and one from California) participated in an ice-breaker which called for them to group themselves with others who shared their preferences, Nguyen said his favorite class is science. And indeed, at this stage in his education, he outlines his career choices as law or medicine. He is actively interested in, and already knowledgeable about, the operations of the legal system. And he had come to the right place to learn even more. The Learning Center is a hands-on museum devoted to the history and functions of the law in Michigan. It gives visitors an overview of both the way the overall court system works as well as offering exhibits on some specific topic areas such as Native American courts and personal protection orders. The Center also has displays on specific events in Michigan legal history, particularly those which had broader national implications, and biographies of influential participants in Michigan legal history. When Rachel Drenovsky, the Learning Center Coordinator, started working there a little over six years ago, she overheard a lot of young visitors to the Learning Center express an interest in becoming a lawyer or working for the courts in other ways. The students seemed to have some misconceptions about what that entails based on what they had seen on television and in movies. She developed "Exploring Careers in the Law" as a weeklong program to show students how it really is. Drenovsky, who clearly knows what it takes to hold a kid's attention, came to the job without much specific knowledge about the legal system. Her background is in history, and her masters' degree has specializations in public history and historical research. She learned quickly on the job, and said she finds the legal system compatible with a profound interest in the past. "The lawyers call it precedent, I call it history," she says. The "Exploring Careers" program was originally aimed solely at high school age, and 2010 marked its fifth year. Last year it was decided to expand to middle school students, which judging from the response was a good idea. Approximately 20 middle-schoolers gathered in Lansing for the start of their week at the courts. The sessions were held from 9 a.m. to noon each day. Drenovsky stresses two important areas: first, students meet real professionals who are doing the kind of jobs they might aspire to. Second, the young participants have specific assignments to focus their attention. Teachers, principals, and other educators receive notice of the learning opportunity to tell their students, and all who apply are accepted without pre-screening. "That has served us well so far," Drenovsky says. This session's cohort was full of bright, mostly outgoing students who had no difficulty volunteering when asked. Most of them come from within an hour or two of Lansing, and this year there were several from Pinckney. One student had gone through the program last year. After a couple of getting-to-know-each-other activities, Drenovsky asked the students to name some key principles of our democracy. They came up with several, and when asked about those displayed on the Supreme Court building § Freedom, Equality, Truth, and Justice § they came up with all four. The students then toured the Learning Center. Drenovsky went through the "pyramid" of trial court to court of appeals to Supreme Court, and talked about some of the requirements for pursuing a career in the judiciary. In the next room, students assumed roles of court personnel, from judge to clerk to bailiff to "the public," and read to each other from laminated sheets about what their function is in a smoothly running system. They then went to discover three facts about previously-assigned topic areas, including mediation and small claims court. Later in the week they had a chance to hold a mock small claims trial, after learning in more detail how that court works. They also fleshed out their topic-area reports. On Monday, the three-person groups made a first cut, using magazine pages, pre-printed clip art and the three facts they had garnered to create a poster presentation. Observing them, it was clear that they are learning not just about the specifics, but also how to research, how to present clearly, and how to work with others as a team. A highlight of the students' day was a visit to the sixth floor, where the actual Supreme Court is located, to hear long-time Justice Michael Cavanagh speak about his career and how he sees justice. Cavanagh told the students he grew up in Detroit and had always intended to stay there, but was offered a job as assistant attorney for the City of Lansing and was promoted shortly thereafter to City Attorney. Later, he ran for a newly-created District Court judge position and won; he later served on the Court of Appeals, and in 1982 won his first term on the Supreme Court. He used this to illustrate one of his main messages to the students: so many career decisions are changed "by circumstances, by being exposed to different things," and the students should remain open to change throughout their lives. "Don't feel compelled to get knocked off your horse by a blinding light," he advised, referring to the Biblical story of St. Paul's conversion. "Explore a lot of things." Cavanagh also told students that they cannot take too many English courses, and a good command of English is at the heart of professional success. His advice in answer to a student's question about what else to study was that learning another language was helpful in both a practical and cognitive sense, and he also thought learning technology would be critical for future law practice. One student boldly asked Justice Cavanagh whether he would have run again had he not been limited because he will be over 70 when his current term expires. "Probably," he answered, still evincing enthusiasm for the job. The students met his enthusiasm, asking question after question until after their noon departure time. Vinh Nguyen, whose older sister had attended previously, credits his parents with instilling a broad curiosity in him, and when asked why he chose to attend, said his dad encouraged him, as well as his sister. "My dad is just like that," he explained. Nguyen summed it all up by saying, "I'm really looking forward to a good experience." Published: Mon, Aug 2, 2010

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