Highland School, Braswell Honored
Article Date: Monday, May 07, 2007
Written By: Russell Rawlings
Gastonia’s Highland School of Technology defeated Terry Sanford High School of Fayetteville on Friday for the second consecutive year in the final round of the Moot Court competition, highlighting the North Carolina Bar Association’s 50th annual observance of Law Day.
Laura Paschall, left, and Alyssa Kisby accept their second consecutive set of championship trophies from Chief Justice Sarah Parker of the N.C. Supreme Court. |
Highland Tech, making its second appearance in the finals as the Western Region champion, was represented by defending state champions Alyssa Kisby and Laura Paschall.
Jasmine Wilson and Jonathan Franco represented Terry Sanford, which was making its seventh consecutive appearance in the finals as the Eastern Region champion.
The Moot Court Finals were judged before a panel of N.C. Supreme Court and Court of Appeals judges Friday morning. Each winning student receives a $300 savings bond while a $200 savings bond is presented to each of the runners-up during the Law Day awards ceremony at the North Carolina Museum of History’s Daniels Auditorium.
Chief Justice Sarah Parker and Justices Robert H. Edmunds Jr., Paul M. Newby and Robin E. Hudson of the N.C. Supreme Court joined Judge Douglas McCullough of the N.C. Court of Appeals in judging the finals of the Moot Court competition. Chief Justice Parker, Justices Edmunds and Hudson and Wake County District Court Judge Robert B. Rader participated in the awards ceremony. They were joined on the Law Day program by Judge Ann Marie Calabria of the N.C. Court of Appeals and NCBA President Clark Smith.
Law Day is the culmination of a year's worth of activities for school children in North Carolina. Law Day and Law Week events are made possible through the generous funding of the Beverly C. Moore Justice Fund of the NCBA Foundation Endowment in cooperation with the NCBA Young Lawyers Division.
Winners in the Essay, Photo/Essay and Poster Art contests, with savings bond values in parenthesis, are:
Junior High (grades 6-8) Essay Contest: 1st – Yanique Wright, Northridge Middle School, Charlotte ($300); 2nd – Jordan Dye, Perry Harrison School, Pittsboro ($200); 3rd – Jackie Robey, Roger Bacon Academy/Charter Day School, Leland ($100).
Senior High (grades 9-12) Essay Contest: 1st – Anna Caruso, Massey Hill Classical High School, Fayetteville ($300); 2nd – Chanel Blanchett, East Mecklenburg High School, Charlotte ($200); 3rd – Melissa Pitaccio, Massey Hill Classical High School, Fayetteville ($100).
Poster Art Contest (grade 4-6): 1st – Garrison Wagoner, Sparta School, Sparta ($300); 2nd – Brandy Nicole Sells, Sparta School, Sparta ($200); 3rd – Katie Lauren Tally, Sparta School, Sparta ($100).
Photo/Essay Contest (grade 8): 1st – Alex Briggs, Cullowhee Valley School, Cullowhee ($500); 2nd – Cameron Langford, Davidson International Baccalaureate Middle School, Davidson ($250) 3rd – Aubrey Masters, Rugby Middle School, Hendersonville ($100).
Maurice Braswell accepts Liberty Bell Award from his son, Ed. |
E. Maurice Braswell of Fayetteville received the 2007 Liberty Bell Award and provided the Law Day address prior to the recognition of the student winners. His son, New Bern attorney Ed Braswell, presented the award.
Click here to access the Law Day address.
The senior Braswell is a Rocky Mount native who has spent his professional career in Fayetteville, serving as a district solicitor, district attorney and judge. He served as a Superior Court judge from 1962-82 and on the N.C. Court of Appeals from 1983-85. After retiring from the bench for health reasons, Braswell later returned as a Special Emergency Superior Court Judge and served in that capacity until 1998.
A prisoner of war during World War II, Braswell holds undergraduate and law degrees from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
The Liberty Bell Award is one of the most prestigious awards given annually by the NCBA and is presented to one who has “strengthened the American system of freedom under law.”
Previous winners were Herbert L. Richardson, William Joslin, Henry Frye, Robert R. Browning, Lacy Thornburg, James B. Hunt Jr., William C. Friday, Sam J. Ervin III, Terry Sanford, Herbert H. Taylor Jr., James Dickson Phillips Jr., Wade E. Brown, Hiram H. Ward, Kathrine Everett, L. Richardson Preyer, J. Frank Huskins, McNeill Smith, Franklin T. Dupree Jr., Thad Eure, Joseph Branch, Dr. Robert E. Lee, William B. Aycock, Susie Sharp and Sam Ervin Jr.
The 2007 Law Week Committee co-chairs were Kim D’Arruda, who also coordinated the Moot Court competition, and Todd Jones who also coordinated the activity book.
Also serving in leadership roles were Valeree Adams, Moot Court Western Region chair; Christopher Ayes, Moot Court coordinator; Matthew Blake, Catherine Jordan and Joseph Newsome, Moot Court problem; Kimberly Brackett-Jones, Liberty Bell Award chair; Drake Brinkley and Nancy Dunn, Moot Court Eastern Region co-chairs; Eshe’ Collins, Activity Book Committee (law student member); Colleen Crowley and Creecy Johnson, Essay Committee co-chairs; Jennifer Jones, ceremony chair; Paul Mediratta, Citizenship Education Committee chair; Paige Perry, Poster Art chair; Vanessa Totten, activity book; Susan Vanderweert, luncheon chair; Melissa Walker, Moot Court finals chair; and at-large committee members Ryan Aul, Lauren Taylor and Ryan McKaig.