Jun 18, 2008 11:37 AM
After many minutes of intense deliberation, the jury in the Big Bad Wolf v. Curly Pig trial told the judge it could not reach a verdict.
Judge Alina Climovo immediately declared a mistrial and Pig, accused of placing a boiling cauldron in the fireplace of his brick house with malice aforethought as the plaintiff came down the chimney, was acquitted of all charges of attempted Wolf-cooking.
Climovo, her black robe completely engulfing her everyday school clothes, presided over the May 1 trial in the fabulously realistic courtroom of Brooklyn’s Midwood HS. She was one of seven in a cast of characters played by juniors and seniors in Chapter Leader Stu Rothstein’s Constitutional Law Class II. The 12 jurors, boys and girls sitting neatly in a row in their tidy school uniforms, were selected from a pool of 5th-graders in Florina Zambito’s class at nearby PS 152.
Only one member of the jury decided in Wolf’s favor. The Big Bad Wolf — a lanky, ponytailed villain in jeans otherwise know as Shane Beskin — growled upon hearing the verdict. He protested in his best tough-guy Brooklynese, the same voice he used when earlier telling the court that most of his friends call him B.B.
Earlier, after being sworn in by bailiff Arthur Yermakov, Wolf showed no signs of remorse for huffing, puffing and blowing down the houses of Pig’s two deceased siblings, which is what he had been accused of by witness Jack Smith, the owner of a building supply company selling straw, sticks and bricks.
Smith, a.k.a. Troy Holder, also accused Wolf of “major porkocide” just a week after he had made “trouble for Little Red Riding Hood and her poor Granny” at the other side of the forest. Wolf’s attorney, Dwayne Myles, objected, calling the testimony hearsay. The objection was sustained.
Curly Pig, also known as James Phinex, admirably refrained from squealing behind the apron strings of attorney Melissa Gurdon whenever Wolf growled. Throughout the trial, Pig showed great pluck and a tough hide in the witness box after being sworn in by the hair of his chinny-chin-chin by the bailiff.
Stating his residence as 283 Sty Lane off Mud Ave., Pig then gave an account of Wolf’s attempts to trick him during episodes of turnip-picking, apple-picking and going to the county fair. An upright citizen if not an upright creature, Pig told of his heroic efforts at outfoxing Wolf, ultimately winning over the jury.
There’s always a lot of fun at the Onceuponatime Courthouse, and there are always a lot of profound lessons about law and justice to be learned from Rothstein. Throughout the trial he sat offstage right of the judge’s bench and made himself available for consultation.
The actual courtroom was designed in 1992 by a New York State Supreme Court judge, and Midwood’s principal at the time set out on a mission to have it built at one end of an upper floor of the large school. Finished in 1993, it’s a glorious affair, complete with paneling, barrister bookcases, judge’s bench, witness stand and jury box.
A gated, waist-high divider separates the legal proceedings from the spectators, often comprised of high school and elementary school students, teachers, parents, administrators and UFT fans of Rothstein’s program.
Rothstein, a social studies teacher for 20 years at Midwood and for 19 years before that at Thomas Jefferson HS, has been conducting this particular brand of mock trials for the past two years, with the support of colleague Joann Peters, chair of the social studies department. The current program includes children from PS 152, who regularly uphold justice by serving as jurors.
After teaching for 39 years, Rothstein says, “I still feel that the best part of every day is the four classes I teach on law and community service.” He’s proud of the many students who have passed through his hands and gone on to sterling careers in law. When he’s not getting kids excited about constitutional law, Rothstein is serving justice in the UFT Grievance Department every weekday after 4 p.m.
He spends about two months of classroom preparation for each trial, practicing from the scripts of fairy-tale characters on trial that he gets from the American Bar Association. [Inexpensive and chock-full of witty dialog, they are adaptable for different ages and can be ordered by calling the ABA at 1-800-285-2221.]
“We practice about once or twice a week with the ABA script, hold auditions and pick a double team in case someone is out of school on the day of the trial,” Rothstein said.
Today the packed courtroom rings with laughter and applause at the sharp, original questions coming from the little jurors and from other audience members. After the trial anyone can comment or question the legal eagles at the front of the courtroom. It all adds up to a learning experience for everyone, both scripted and ad-libbed.
Among those in the audience at the Wolf v. Pig trial was UFT Brooklyn High Schools Representative Charles Turner.
“A clear case of self-defense,” Turner said when the microphone was passed to him. Agreeing with the majority decision, he rooted for Pig.
When not dining out on pig or scaring little girls in red hoods, B.B. Wolf disguises himself — if not exactly in sheep’s clothing — as the teenage son of Debra Calvo, a teacher at PS 52 in Sheepshead Bay.
Soon it was time to go back into that disguise and wash off his whiskers before the bell rang. However, the ponytailed Beskin reconsidered when a girl said he looked cute with them on.
Every single kid who had been in the courtroom, either playing a role or watching the proceedings, was still abuzz with excitement, still engaged in and discussing the trial long after the verdict.
So Oyez, Oyez, Oyez for Stu Rothstein’s mock trials at Midwood HS.