Court of Creativity

Barkley Elementary’s K-5 Advanced Academic Program Services (AAPS) students participated in a workshop hosted by Kevin Kennedy’s Law Firm located in Clarksville, Tennessee. The Fort Campbell location of The Kennedy Law Firm, PLLC, houses what it believes to be the largest private courtroom in the state of Tennessee. The Court of Creativity is a full-scale simulated court with a bench, jury panel, counsel tables, judge’s chambers, jury deliberation room, inmate holding room, and spectator seating. The law firm uses the courtroom to prepare for cases and is offered to local schools for mock trials and training.

In the Court of Creativity, many students experience an actual courtroom setting where attorneys and staff members of The Kennedy Law Firm, PLLC, portray a realistic, hypothetical court case from beginning to end. Students sit on the jury of the simulated trial, hear the evidence, deliberate in the jury room, and return their verdict while other class members observe in the audience. The members of The Kennedy Law Firm, PLLC, provide this unique opportunity for students to gain knowledge of legal procedures and processes that they may not otherwise be able to experience.

While participating this year with DoDEA’s adopted “thinkLaw” curriculum, students have been introduced to the judicial system, practiced critical thinking skills with the evidence presented in real-life legal cases, and have deliberated possible solutions to these real-world court cases. In this week’s field trip to the Court of Creativity, the students heard the trial of Alice N. Wonderland, a young lady accused of stealing The Queen of Hearts’ Crown. The jury listened to both sides of the case, and with the help of the jury foreman and fifth grader, John David Allen, they gave a not-guilty verdict. Students were commended for their ability to justify their thinking, listen attentively, and actively participate in the mock trial.