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Bar News - September 3, 2004 Connecting Bar Members with New Hampshire Students By: Beverly Rorick Valenda Morrissette, LRE Coordinator "CIVIC ENGAGEMENT is the key to good citizenship," explains Valenda Morrissette, the NHBA’s Law Related Education/ Meetings Coordinator. "It’s exciting to see teachers, students and attorneys working together to promote better understanding of the Constitution and the way our laws work," she continues, "and to be part of an organization that promotes such educational endeavors." LRE activities are funded by a grant from the NH Bar Foundation, by the Center for Civic Education—and by the New Hampshire Bar Association. On Law Day, the ALIES program (A Lawyer and Judge in Every School), finds lawyers and judges across the state visiting classrooms from the elementary to the high school level to work with teachers in presenting programs to students and answering questions. Bar members have a lot of help in preparing for their visits; the ALIES program is supported in part by the ABA, which provides materials accessible on-line.  Morrissette also oversees the Mock Trial competition; she and the Mock Trial committee (composed of Bar members) choose age-appropriate model cases each year for elementary, middle and high school classes to study and discuss. Elementary schools submit videos and middle and high schools compete in statewide contests. In the state final competitions, four teams from both levels take part—and the winning high school team goes on to the national competition in May. NHBA members coach and judge these efforts—and district and superior courthouses are the settings. Another LRE competition that gains much attention around the state is We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution, sponsored by the Center for Civic Education, which provides textbooks for all grade levels. The program culminates in a simulated congressional hearing where students "testify" before a panel of judges composed of NHBA members and state legislators. This meeting takes place at the Legislative Office Building and students have a chance to demonstrate their understanding of constitutional principles. The winners of this contest go to Washington, DC for the national competition. This year students from Nashua won the Fourth Unit title at the national level (see related article on page 23). We the People: Project Citizen is a program that provides middle school students with hands-on learning on a local issue—school, town or state—that deals with public policy. The students research the problem, consider solutions, develop a policy of their own and then create a plan of action. They develop portfolios that often include posters; attorneys and judges then evaluate these portfolios at the Bar Center. The program is grant-funded by the US Dept. of Education and conducted with the assistance of the National Conference of State Legislatures. By participating in this program some middle schools have succeeded in getting laws passed or changed. Morrissette polishes and perfects the LRE programs by private study and by attending conferences, some of which are sponsored by the ABA and the Center for Civic Education. She is also an active participant in NHCSS (New Hampshire Council for Social Studies) conferences, presenting workshops on the We the People programs and other Bar resources available to teachers. One of these resources, available either at the Bar Center or online, is Beyond High School, a booklet for high school students to help them make wise choices after graduating. Morrissette, a center director, will attend a conference this month for a program called Youth for Justice, which is sponsored by the US Justice Department of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, the ABA, the Center for Civic Education and the Constitutional Rights Foundation. This program exposes young people to the juvenile justice system on an educational level. She is also on the steering committee of the NH Alliance for Civic Engagement and the Executive Committee for the NH Council for Social Studies. "I love my job," says Morrissette. "I see our members become rejuvenated by their personal involvement with young people. There are no losers in this game!" Valenda and her husband Roger—who sometimes accompanies her to LRE events—live in Hopkinton and have been married for 37 years; they have two daughters and two granddaughters. Valenda joined the staff at the NHBA in November 2003. Previously, she was resource contracts manager for Geographic Data Technology Inc. in Lebanon—and before moving to New Hampshire, she spent many years training and showing horses at her family’s farm in Granby, Mass. Members are strongly encouraged to become part of the LRE’s rewarding programs and may contact Morrissette at vmorrissette@nhbar.org or by phone at 603/224-6942 or write to her at NHBA, 112 Pleasant Street, Concord, NH 03301.
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