Chester Upland Students Featured in May 6 Law Day Events at Historic Courthouse

(CHESTER, PA) – Chester Upland School District students will be in the spotlight during 2016 Law Day Exercises hosted Friday, May 6, by the Delaware County Bar Association at 2 p.m. in the Historic 1724 Court House, located at 412 Avenue of the States in Chester.

Chester High School juniors Deja Naylor and Alexis Lombard will present arguments to a panel of legal experts regarding the real-life case of JBD v North Carolina. The legal panel, including Delaware County Court of Common Pleas Judge Nathanial C. Nichols, will play the role of an appellate court, hearing student legal arguments supporting JBD’s right to remain silent and then issuing a ruling.

Chester Upland Superintendent Gregory G. Shannon applauded the Chester High School students for their academic achievements and work ethic.

“Our students are a great example of the talent we have in Chester Upland schools,” said Superintendent Shannon. “I am proud of the work they have done to prepare for Moot Court arguments. We all appreciate the opportunity provided by the Delaware County Bar Association and invite other civic groups to come find out what our Chester Upland students can accomplish.”

Each of the Chester High School students is also a member of the school Youth Court, a peer panel that reviews student discipline cases and advises administrators, said Chester High School Principal Constance McAlister. Students were selected by teachers and administrators to participate in Moot Court. To prepare for Law Day, the Moot Court team met twice a week with Widener University School of Law students Stephon Young and Taylor Fullman, named by the bar association as this year’s E. Wallace Chadwick Memorial Fund Constitutional Fellows.

“This is an opportunity to be exposed to the law in a user-friendly way,” Principal McAlister said. “Through this process, students had to persevere, to understand the legal language and gain a working knowledge of the issues and arguments.

“This shows some real ‘intestinal fortitude’ on behalf of the students. We’re real proud of them,” she said.

Scott Gottel, Esq., president of the Delaware County Bar Association, notes that the year’s Law Day theme is “Miranda: More than Words” in recognition of the 50th anniversary of the US Supreme Court case Miranda v. Arizona (1966), when the high court held that admission of an incriminating statement by a suspect not informed of the right against self-incrimination violates the Fifth Amendment and the Sixth Amendment right to counsel. The ruling resulted in the so-called “Miranda” warnings—familiar to fans of law enforcement TV shows—stating clearly a right to remain silent, a right to an attorney and informing suspects that comments will be used against them in a court of law.

On Law Day, Chester High School students will make arguments based on a 2011 US Supreme Court case involving a teenager interviewed as a suspect in several burglaries by police and school officials in a school conference room without any warning about a right to remain silent and have legal representation. Lower courts held the student was not in custody when he was questioned so Miranda warnings were not required.

David Robbins, Esq., chair of the Chester Law Day Program, said Moot Court preparation and presentations teach valuable life lessons. Public speaking, analysis of facts and evaluating arguments, responding to questions spontaneously “give them the tools to go forward in life,” he said. “And hopefully, some will decide it may be a good career move.”

In addition, the Chester Upland Choral Ambassadors will perform to close the day’s events. While the full Choral Ambassadors chorus includes 60 Chester Upland School District students under leadership of four district music teachers, for this event a smaller group of 25 students from Toby Farms Middle School, STEM Academy at Showalter, Chester Upland School for the Arts and Chester High School will sing several selections, including the Chester High School Alma Mater.

About Chester Upland School District

Chester Upland has been under state control for more than two decades. In 2012 it became the first district under a law enacted that year to receive special state attention focusing on fiscal and academic challenges. Gregory Shannon was hired as superintendent in 2013 to bring academic rigor to the district while also turning a previously toxic school environment into a safe, positive climate conducive to learning. Thanks to dedicated families, faculty and administrators, Chester Upland School District students continue to thrive. Earlier this year, STEM Academy at Showalter seniors Autumn Bey and Edward Nelson Jr., were named Gates Millennium Scholars, bringing to six the district’s total number of Scholars in the past four years.

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Media queries:

Becky Taylor at 609.240.6886 or becky@btaylorpa.com

Heather Ransome at 609.577.3224 or heather@btaylorpa.com