Teen Court Will Host "Kick-Off" Friday,
With First Court, Tuesday, August 24th
Teen Court of Hopkins County Merit Club will kick-off the 2010-2011 school year with Orientation at S.S.H.S. on Aug. 20th. Freshmen will be signing up at 9:30 a.m. and Upper Classmen will start signing up at 1:30 p.m. Other Hopkins Co. high school students can sign up on the 24th at the pre-court activities.
The first Teen Court session of the new school year will be Aug. 24th at 6:00 p.m. at the Hopkins County Courthouse on the Sul. Spgs. square. Pre-court refreshments and sign-in for Merit Club members will start at 5:15 p.m. at the county building on the square, next to Plain and Fancy. Pizza and cold drinks will be served.
Teen Court is a voluntary, youth diversion program, designed to allow teenage, Class C Misdemeanor offenders, an opportunity to accept responsibility for their actions by choosing to allow their teen peers to decide their sentences, which consists of Community Service, jury terms and apology letters, while learning about how the judicial system works. Offenders must plead guilty or no contest to the court and ask to have their sentence deferred to Teen Court.
The Court is staffed by high school, Merit Club members who serve as attorneys, bailiffs, clerks and jury members. The Merit Club is a scholarship based organization, giving training in court procedure and the opportunity to serve the community. It is open to all Hopkins County high school students entering the 9th grade, through the 12th grade and to Home Schooled students as well. The cost is $15.00 each year and the members receive a colored polo shirt with the Teen Court insignia, training in court procedure and how to defend and prosecute cases by local attorneys. Free pizza and refreshments are served each month before court. Serving the community through participation in Teen Court gives teens an opportunity to get Community Service hours needed for college applications. Court Coordinators will write letters of recommendation to universities for graduating seniors who request them. It offers a clean, safe environment for teens to spend after-school time with their peers while serving the community. This is a great opportunity for debate teams, government classes and other teens, interested in how the judicial system works, to get hands-on training and practice.
Scholarships and class prizes are given at the end of the school year for those Merit Club members who earned the most points by their participation at court and in various Merit Club activities throughout the year. Teen Court Merit Club supports the Pilot Club bike race, Pilot Club Hoop Dreams basketball, Red Cross Christmas bell ringing, Empty Stocking program, WE CAN HELP, Dairy Festival Balloon Glow (and other Dairy Festival events), Fall Festival, and other organizations who call and need helping hands. Merit Club members earn points by helping with those activities.
For more information to volunteer (there are also volunteer positions for adults), to donate, or just learn more about Teen Court, call 903-885-8041, ext. 240.
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