Students from Irmo High School took part in a hands-on legal learning experience in December at the National Advocacy Center, the U.S. Department of Justice’s federal training facility in Columbia. 

The group included 29 students from the school’s Advanced Placement government class, taught by Eric Coleman, as well as participants in the International Baccalaureate Programme and the This is Escolares magnet program. 

Coleman said opportunities that connect classroom instruction to real-world settings leave a lasting impact on students. 

“When students are able to take course concepts and apply them in real-world scenarios, the learning is so much more meaningful,” he said. “I am extremely proud of this group for representing Irmo High and School District Five so well, especially since we were the first group in the district to do this.” 

While at the center, students served as mock jurors during the NAC’s Basic Criminal Trial Advocacy Seminar, a course designed to train assistant U.S. attorneys through realistic trial simulations.

Students were provided an overview of courtroom procedures before being divided into groups inside federal mock courtrooms, where they observed practicing attorneys act as witnesses, prosecutors and defense counsel. U.S. District Court judges presided.

“This was a really cool opportunity to experience how a trial works and the aspects of a criminal proceeding,” senior IB student Hayden Applegate said in a media release. “The elements of the case were very clearly explained to us with opportunities for us to experience direct, cross-examination and rebuttal from both sides.” 

For some students, the experience influenced their future career plans.

“I’ve been interested in becoming a lawyer for a few years now, and visiting the National Advocacy Center only strengthened that interest,” Rebecca Porcelli Rino, a senior IB Diploma student, said. “At first, I wanted to pursue only corporate law, but now I’m also considering criminal law. I really appreciated the time the lawyers there took to speak with us and share more about what they do.” 

The National Advocacy Center trains about  10,000 legal professionals every year.

“I hadn’t done anything like it before and never considered it as something I would enjoy, but I ended up learning a lot and was very drawn in by the entire process,” student Mia Basham said. “Getting to participate as a juror in a mock trial was such a fascinating experience. I’m so glad I got to be there!”