MARYSVILLE — Court was called to order 8 a.m. Friday at 10th Street Middle School in Marysville.
As seventh and eighth graders gave statements and called witnesses to the stand, sixth graders sat in the back of the rooms, taking notes for next year.
This is 10th Street’s Mock Trial program, a 16-year tradition where every one of 161 students enrolled at school participate. It’s the only program of its kind in the Marysville School District.
Since the beginning of his teaching career, social studies teacher Eric Hanson has tried to launch mock trials at every school he’s worked. In 2009, he transferred to 10th Street. Now, every seventh and eighth grader learns about law and prepares for trial as part of a quarter-long project.
Many students who participated in 10th Street’s program have gone on to study law or become lawyers, Hanson said. The program exposes all students to law, he added, regardless of race, ability or socioeconomic status.
The Marysville YMCA Family Mock Trial Team — comprised of high school students from around the city — guides students along the way. Many 10th Street students participate in the YMCA program in high school, and Hanson coaches the team. Last year, the team placed seventh in the state mock trial competition and first among the Snohomish County teams.
“What I love about it is it’s not only giving these students a platform to compete at the state level but to really learn law,” said JJ Frank, executive director at Marysville YMCA. “It’s phenomenal.”
Frank was one of 10th Street’s community jury members Friday. Marysville Mayor Jon Nehring, school board members Mark Tomas and Craig Hereth and city council member Kelly Richards also served on juries, as well as YMCA staff and members of the high school team. Three of Friday’s judges were practicing prosecutors in the Marysville area.
Hanson worries, however, that budget cuts might adversely affect the mock trial program.
The Marysville School District plans to close a number of schools in an effort to cut costs to address financial challenges.
Since 2022, Marysville has been embroiled in a financial crisis that has left the district in binding conditions with the state. The Marysville School Board is set to vote soon on three options that could close or repurpose schools.
One option includes changing all elementary schools to grades K-6, leaving middle schools with a 7/8 model. Alternative options include shutting down other middle schools in the district, which would bring more kids to 10th Street.
Hanson said either option could jeopardize the well-established mock trial program model. Seventh graders arriving straight from elementary school wouldn’t get the chance to observe trials at first. Eighth graders coming from other schools that don’t have a mock trial would struggle to adjust because they haven’t “lived in the model,” Hanson said.
“We’re not sure what (the district is) going to do, but we’re worried because things like this are delicate,” Hanson said. “And if you make too many changes, you could break it.”
It has said it’s too early to know what programs may be affected, district spokesperson Jodi Runyon said Monday.
Hanson also leads a unit about state legislation, during which students learn about state code, how a bill becomes a law and how to debate in committees. Students have the chance to participate in an event at the school district boardroom and try to advance their legislation.
“We don’t live in a time where schools have the luxury to be concerned with civic education,” Hanson said. “There’s such pressures on schools to elevate math, science and English scores. This kind of stuff gets lost. But luckily, we’ve been able to make a commitment to civic education, and we are firm believers in how important it is.”
Students on Friday were enthusiastic about their mock trial experience.
“It keeps you pretty engaged,” said eighth grader Stori Ringled. “It does get pretty stressful when there’s a lot of work, but I feel like it’s good as a way for us to learn what careers we can do when we’re older.”
Karen Davis, secondary office manager at 10th Street, said the mock trial model is “invaluable” to the community, and raised concerns about the district’s proposed cost-cutting options.
“It seems like the go-to is bigger is better because it’s more cost-effective,” Davis said. “It’s all about dollars and cents. But I think we’ve demonstrated through programs like this that it’s better to find something that’s good for the kids and make it work.”
Jenna Peterson: 425-339-3486; jenna.peterson@heraldnet.com; X: @jennarpetersonn.
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