Hubbard High School and Middle School students were among other county-wide young people who heard how important it is to get involved in democracy, a message shared by Ohio Supreme Court Justice Yvette McGee Brown, who was the keynote speaker for the annual Law Day luncheon held last month in Howland.
The annual luncheon, hosted by the Trumbull County Bar Association, is the culmination of a month of activities involving local youth that includes mock trials, shadowing day, tours of the Trumbull Courthouse by high-school students, and poster, essay and multi-media contests for students in first to 12th grades. This year's theme was ''No Courts, No Justice, No Freedom."
"It's also a nice day for those of us in the legal community and elected officials as well. To have a Ohio Supreme Court justice as our speaker adds to the day,'' she said.
McGee Brown, who was elected at age 32 to a common pleas court judgeship in Columbus and is now an Ohio Supreme Court justice, said what is important about Law Week is recognizing the importance of the younger generation getting involved in the system of participatory democracy.
Speaking to the lawyers, she spoke on the importance of the rule of law, the court system and the constitution.
"I was very honored to be invited. I always love to come to the Valley and looked forward to meeting members of the Trumbull County Bar Association,'' McGee Brown said.
She said those individuals who framed the Constitution created a judiciary branch separate from the legislative and executive branches to protect people's rights with that document still relevant today in issues that the forefathers would never have thought of years ago would be addressed by the Constitution in 2012.
Recognition included:
Law Week elementary contest winners: Jacquelyn Keslar, sixth grade, Hubbard; Hayden Lengyel, first grade, Mineral Ridge; Allison Rowe, second grade, Leavittsburg; Nikolina Drobnjak, third grade, McDonald; Ryan Bedlion, fourth grade, Maplewood, and Cassey Beach Groves, fourth grade, Niles, (tie); Jolena Gioiello, fifth grade, Niles;
Law Week middle / high school winners; Kayla Ciletti, grades seventh-eighth, Howland Middle School; Julie Riedel, grades ninth-10th, Niles McKinley High School; Megan Rose Guliano, grades 11th-12th, Warren John F. Kennedy High School; and Daquan Carter, multi-media, Liberty High School;
Job shadow participants from area high schools;
Mock trial team winners from Hubbard, John F. Kennedy and Struthers high schools;
Pro Bono Award was presented to attorney Brendan J. Keating.