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Justice Lewis at Bethune Elementary

MAY 1 WAS A SPECIAL DAY for both the students and one particular teacher at Bethune Elementary School of the Arts in Hollywood. On that day, the school marquee welcomed Justice Fred Lewis of the Florida Supreme Court, who came to Bethune Elementary to bring a Justice Teaching civic education lesson to the class of fifth grade teacher Sherri Moss. Justice Lewis engaged the students for two hours in an interactive lesson that required the students to consider 10 fundamental constitutional rights and decide which rights they would retain if forced to choose among them. Constitutional knowledge, along with a thought-provoking exercise, was not all that Justice Lewis brought to Bethune Elementary that day. A souvenir gavel was given to each student in Mrs. Moss’s class, and every student received an opportunity to pose in a photo with Justice Lewis while wearing his judicial robe. Justice Lewis also awarded a “Certificate of Excellence” to Mrs. Moss for her efforts to ensure that the students of Bethune Elementary School continue to participate in Justice Teaching. JT volunteer Bruce Blitman, who has volunteered with Bethune Elementary for the past two years, said he was “especially proud” to see Mrs. Moss receive the recognition, noting that the teachers who invite Justice Teaching volunteers to visit their classrooms are “at the core of the success” of the program. “I have never seen Mrs. Moss ‘speechless’ before, but she was truly overwhelmed by this presentation,” Blitman said. At the end of the session, everyone enjoyed a cake, during which time the students asked Justice Lewis about his background and shared with him their hopes for the future. Justice Lewis’s impact on the students of Bethune Elementary did not end with his departure that day. According to Mrs. Moss, “The children are still asking questions and reminding me of different parts of his lesson.” To learn more about becoming a Justice Teaching volunteer, visit www.justiceteaching.org.

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