CharlotteLaw Hosts Justice Teaching Institute

Article Date: Thursday, August 20, 2009

The 2009 NCBA Foundation's Justice Teaching Fellows.

The North Carolina Bar Association’s third Justice Teaching Institute was held Aug. 3-5 in Charlotte. Thirty-four North Carolina educators were installed as Justice Teaching Fellows at the conclusion of the three-day program, which was hosted by the Charlotte School of Law and administered by the Law-Related Education Department of the NCBA Foundation.

Professor Irving Joyner

Proposed in 2001 by then-Chief Justice I. Beverly Lake Jr. of the N.C. Supreme Court, the JTI was adapted from a Florida program that provides teachers with the information and background they need to better understand and convey the depth and breadth of the legal system to their students.

Previous institutes were conducted at the N.C. Bar Center in Cary. All three programs have been made possible through funding from the NCBA Foundation Endowment.

The desired results of the program, in keeping with all aspects of law-related education, are young people who are equipped with the knowledge they will need to function and thrive as productive, community-minded citizens.

This year’s JTI focused on issues that are relevant to the history and events that have taken place in North Carolina. In addition, resources and materials were provided to help participants learn new ways to effectively instruct students in these areas consistent with the North Carolina Standard Course of Study.

The newly inducted Justice Teaching Fellows are:

Adam Barabasz of Salem Middle School in Apex;

Jennifer Barbee and Sarah Brundin of Stanfield Elementary School in Stanly County;

Lerah Brooks of Jordan Matthews High School in Siler City;

Jeneal Bunn of Myrtle Grove Middle School in Wilmington;

Nadine Burgess of the School of Computer Technology of Atkins in Winston-Salem;

Marvie Cartner of Northern Middle School in Roxboro;

Charlotte Cherry of East Rowan High School in Salisbury;

Randal Clapp of Eastern Guilford High School in Gibsonville;

Ervin Collins of Elm City Middle School in Wilson County;

Linda Cosgrove of Ragsdale High School in Jamestown;

Delisha Covington of Independence High School in Charlotte;

Andrea Davis of Knightdale High School in Wake County;

Laverne Ellis and Marlene Fullwood of Healthy Start Academy in Durham;

Steve Evans of Person High School in Roxboro;

Anna Fields of Alexander Middle School in Huntersville;

Lorenzo Harrison of Westover High School in Fayetteville;

Dianne King of Butler High School in Matthews;

Lisa Lamb of Holly Springs High School in Wake County;

Annette LeRoux of Croatan High School in Newport;

Sara McGue of Southwest Middle School in Gastonia;

Catherine Musial of West Johnston High School in Benson;

Robin Nelson of West Mecklenburg High School in Charlotte;

Charlene Pennington-Best of Pearson Lab School in Durham;

Thaddeus Pickard of Canton Middle School in Haywood County;

Kelly Price of Metro School in Charlotte;

Cynthia Simpson of Mount Pleasant High School in Cabarrus County;

Keesha Sinclair of Northwest Guilford High School in Greensboro;

Antonio Sloan of Dudley High School in Greensboro;

Dr. Thomas Stewart of Sampson School in Kinston;

Lynn Tutterow of Davie County High School in Mocksville; and

Dwayne White of Southside High School in Chocowinity.

Will Dudenhausen

“Thomas Jefferson once said, ‘Without an informed citizenry, democracy cannot work.’ ” said program participant Lynn Tutterow who teaches social studies at Davie County High School. “Your conference provided me with more tools to help high school students graduate with skills needed to be informed citizens.

“I came away with a renewed sense of the value of teaching critical thinking skills through the moot court exercises we practiced. I came away with new ideas of how I can involve local attorneys and the bar association in my classroom and also ways I can encourage promising students to consider this as a career field. I came away knowing a lot more about the events in North Carolina involving the fight for civil rights.

“Thank you for your vision and generosity as I truly think your organization is making a positive difference in our state.”

Speakers and presenters included attorneys Christopher Gelwicks, Erin Rozzelle and Steve Kearney of Charlotte; Irving Joyner of the North Carolina Central University School of Law; Joyce Johnson, Joseph Frierson and the Rev. Nelson Johnson of the Greensboro Truth and Community Reconciliation Project; Wade Yona of Qualla Arts and Crafts Mutual, Inc.; Will Dudenhausen of the Dispute Settlement Center of Orange County; and Todd Nuccio, trial court administrator, and Charles Keller, community access and outreach administrator, for the Mecklenburg County Courts.

Participants also heard from Lewis A. Brandon III of Greensboro. Brandon was a student at what was then North Carolina A&T College in 1960 who played a key role as a student leader in demonstrations and subsequent sit-ins occurring in the immediate aftermath of the Feb. 1 sit-in at the F. W. Woolworth lunch counter.

Dean Dennis Stone of the Charlotte School of Law and NCBA President John Wester provided welcoming remarks. They were joined in this portion of the program by Mikael Gross of the General Assembly and attorney Roderick Allison of Creedmoor, co-chairs of the NCBA Foundation’s Law-Related Education Advisory Committee, former Chair Heather Culp of Charlotte, and LRE Director Diane Wright.

Photos courtesy of Mikael Gross, co-chair, LRE Advisory Committee