COLUMBUS, Ga. (WTVM) - Columbus High School has added a legal services pathway to its curriculum, allowing students to practice law skills before pursuing a college degree.
The program is designed to expose students to different career paths before they graduate from one of the top high schools in Georgia. Assistant Principal Michele Grier said they listened to their students.
“Many students wanted to pursue a career in law to become a lawyer or even a judge,” Grier said. “Now, with this new pathway they have the opportunity to practice taking a case to trial, presenting evidence, and even making a ruling.”
Mock courtroom provides hands-on experience
The college preparatory magnet program features a new mock courtroom where the legal pathway will take place.
“We are currently standing in the new Columbus High School mock courtroom, this is where our new legal pathway will take place,” Grier said. “Our students will be able to take what they learn, apply it, and practice it.”
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Students will be able to take several courses in this program to prepare them for college. Previously, Columbus High only had AP Government and AP U.S. History.
“In AP Government and AP U.S. History we were learning about the law, but now with this legal pathway we are learning how to apply it,” said Columbus High senior Lucile Choudhury. “I think that’s the harder part that a lot of students don’t get until they start working in fields like that or when they are in law school.”
Career exploration focus
Grier said career exploration is important, especially beginning in ninth grade.
“Offering a plethora of avenues for a student to explore allows them to make good choices,” Grier said.
Choudhury, who knew at an early age she wanted to pursue a law degree, is a member of the mock trial team. She said having a courtroom will allow her team to feel more comfortable when they travel to Atlanta and other cities for competitions.
“I know every time we enter a courtroom during our competition it’s very frightening because you have real judges, real attorneys,” Choudhury said. “Now that we get to sit in this courtroom today I feel like we are getting more comfortable with this idea. That’s helping me for right now on our mock trial team but also with what I want to pursue in the future.”
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