THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, April 25, 1996 TAG: 9604230154
SECTION: NORFOLK COMPASS PAGE: 27 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JON GLASS, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 78 lines
Mr. Positive Future, a ``city official,'' went to trial several times on a day last week at Lake Taylor High School. His alleged crime: Misspending $1 million in tax dollars on downtown projects rather than investing it in the needier residential Ocean View neighborhood.
The verdict: Guilty as charged - at least in one of the trials.
Government students at Lake Taylor served as jury, prosecutor, defense attorney and judge in the unusual mock trials held last week in the school's media center, all part of a daylong ``Celebrate Norfolk'' learning fair.
The trial grew out of an idea by two Lake Taylor government teachers, Tina Cannon and Jackie Daley. They wanted to make sure students appreciated the many things their home city has to offer.
As they shared the concept with other teachers, the project expanded schoolwide. The fair last week spotlighted the city across a variety of subject areas.
Biology classes, for example, worked on a computer program about the Chesapeake Bay. Math students built a Lego model of Military Circle Mall, and they used plastic ``K'nex'' pieces to construct a roller coaster and other rides once in operation at the defunct Ocean View Amusement Park.
ROTC students created displays about the area's military presence, while students in various classes created exhibits using photos and videos that highlight the city's history and attractions.
Cannon said the trial was a way to make her class relevant. City officials and citizens now are engaged in a debate over whether tax dollars should be spent on downtown economic development projects or to revitalize neighborhoods.
And it also brought to life the legal angles of a trial.
``I've learned a lot about how a trial works, a lot of how the system works,'' said junior Chris David, who was a trial judge and an attorney during the course of several trials.
Junior Brandon Wilson, who served as defense attorney for the city's Mr. Positive Future, argued that spending downtown was a ``wise investment.'' It made the city a ``much more pleasurable place to reside and visit.''
Wilson called student witnesses to buttress his case: Shops at Waterside, Scope, Chrysler Hall and Nauticus - all projects supported by city dollars - strengthen the tax base and generate revenue that can be invested in neighborhoods like Ocean View, they said.
Prosecutor Sherrell Briscoe, a junior, didn't buy that argument. She said Ocean View deserves the city money to create recreational opportunities and provide better housing.
``Downtown Norfolk already has many tourist attractions,'' she said. ``Ocean View needs funds for recreation centers and housing. These children need housing that is not condemned.''
The jury of eight students agreed with Briscoe: ``It's more important to put roofs over people's heads and keeping people off the street.''
Students said they learned a lot while preparing for the trial.
``We had a lot of stuff to research,'' Briscoe said. She said she called hotels and other businesses in Ocean View to find out how long they had been there, problems they faced and what they saw as lacking in city services.
Wilson said he learned that city officials have a tough job.
``Now I know how officials feel when there are so many needs for money - you can't make everybody happy,'' he said.
Cheryl Brothers, a math teacher, said a major benefit of the project was to give students a chance to work as a team. The roller coaster, for example, was built in sections by five classes.
``There were kids from ninth-grade to 12th-grade working on this project, some who didn't even know each other,'' Brothers said.
Senior Antwan Carty, who plans to study mass communications at Norfolk State and wants to become a film maker, said the project helped his people skills.
``I learned how to work better with people as a team, to come up with ideas and how to create,'' Carty said. ``Once it got done, I felt pride - I had completed something and I was a part of something.'' by CNB