Dorothy On Trial

“Order in Court!”, Emma F, Alex ’17 said authoritatively, silencing the Duncan Court room. She looked down at the jury of third and fourth graders, nodding approvingly. To her left sat Brentwood’s Law 12 class: monkeys, a scarecrow, a witch, a wizard, and several munchkins.  Last Thursday night, the Law 12 class was invited to the Law Courts of Duncan for a very special reason. They were asked to act out a mock trial, specifically that of The Wizard of Oz. On trial was me, Jaclyn C, Alex ’16, playing the part of Dorothy Gale. I was on trial for theft over $500 (remember the ruby slippers) and for the second degree murder of The Wicked Witch of the West. The munchkins—played by Delaney M, Hope ’16 and Pria F, Hope ’17—were first up to the stand. Going full out for the part, they stood on their knees and spoke in helium high voices in commitment to their roles. Though they were following a script, they brought emotion and humour to their parts. The script followed what a real law case would look like, to the detail. There was evidence submitted, re-examinations, objections, tricky questions asked, and there were even a few emotional outbursts. It was, of course, slightly simplified for our younger audience, but it still gave a very clear idea of the proceedings in a court of law. Once all witnesses had been called and closing arguments had been made, our volunteer jury, primarily made up of those under the age of 11, went behind closed doors to discuss my fate. Surprisingly but thankfully, the jury took their job seriously. They were debating the outcome for a solid 15 minutes, and apparently brought up a lot of good points. Our jury shuffled in, mischievous smiles flitting on their lips. Upon their return to the courtroom, the room was informed of the verdict: not guilty. I was overjoyed to not be going to jail, or whatever alternative there is in Oz.  A big thank you to Mr. Bryant and Ms. Steele-MacInnis for chaperoning and organizing this event! The Law 12 class was quite thankful for this experience, and it was nice to get a chance to give back to the community while still furthering our learning. Jaclyn C, Alex ‘16