Fourth graders at the John J. Doran
School in Fall River decided the fate of a fairytale favorite in
"The Three Bears v. Goldilocks," a mock trial sponsored by the
Massachusetts Bar Association and the Ninth Street Day Nursery and
Pre School in Fall River.
The trial, which was held June 12 at
Fall River Superior Court, was presided over by Judge David A.
McLaughlin, who recently retired.
Sandy Dennis, president of the Ninth
Street Day Nursery and Pre School board, organized the program with
the MBA's Public and Community Services Department in honor of the
school's upcoming 100th anniversary for the benefit of the Fall
River community.
Fourth grade students at the Doran
School split into three juries and deliberated the case: one jury
decided guilty, one decided innocent and one was hung. Because the
juries could not agree on a conviction, Goldilocks was set
free.
In a script created by the American
Bar Association, the Bears found Goldilocks sleeping in Babe E.
Bear's bed when the family returned from a walk in the woods. They
alleged that she showed bad manners by letting herself in to their
empty home, breaking a chair and eating their food.
Fall River attorney David J. Dennis
represented the Bears. Meredith P. Kelley of Morison & Mahoney
LLP, also in Fall River, represented Goldilocks.
Students heard opening remarks from
MBA Treasurer Denise Squillante, of Fall River. The roles of the
witnesses in the case were played by students from Southern New
England School of Law in Dartmouth.
"It is all of our responsibilities as members of our profession
to do some work on civics in education in whatever way we can,"
Squillante said. "The students were engaged, interested, and in the
jury room, they had many questions and focused on the witness
testimony. I am confident that after that morning in Superior
Court, there is a new appreciation for the judicial process."