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High school students go to court to learn about the law

Oct 3, 2018 | 2:00 PM

A group of local students had the chance to visit a busy courtroom Tuesday as part of a high school law class.

Students from the Law 30 class at Prince Albert Collegiate Institute (PACI) visited Prince Albert Provincial Court to learn more about the legal system and career opportunities in the field.

The students heard about court procedure, careers in law and legislation around youth matters in court. Grade 11 student Levi Werner said he is looking forward to learning more as the school year continues.

“It just was eye-opening to see how everything goes down, to know my rights and freedoms, and I’m very glad I took this class,” Werner told paNOW. “I never thought I was really interested in law until I was actually sitting down in the courtroom.”

Grade 11 student Kiana Ballantyne echoed Werner’s comments.

“I chose to take this class to know my rights. It looked interesting,” Ballantyne said.

The students’ teacher, Ranelle Mamczasz said the point of the class is to teach students about the justice system and the range of career possibilities available as they prepare to enter the workforce. Mamczasz is also planning a student visit to the Saskatchewan Penitentiary as part of the class, and is hoping to connect with lawyers, police officers and others within the justice system to speak to students about their careers. She said students have been learning about Canada’s Charter of Rights and Freedoms as part of the class.

“I think it’s important that they know the law because it’s around us and it involves them and they need to know what they can and can’t do, and what their rights are,” Mamczasz said.

 

Charlene.tebbutt@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @CharleneTebbutt