Public Safety Academy Students Learn About the Legal Process from Local Attorney

 Students at the CREC Public Safety Academy recently had the opportunity to hear about the workings of our criminal justice system from local attorney, Shana Altman. The event was organized by Public Safety Academy freshman, Hans Jörg, after his English Language Arts class read Harper Lee’s novel To Kill a Mockingbird. The plotline of the novel centers on a criminal trial and addresses incidences of racial injustice taking place in the deep South in the 1930’s.

Attorney Shana Altman visited Tony Demelo’s freshman English Language Arts class on Thursday, December 19. She provided context for the novel, explaining the workings of and various phases of a criminal trial in the State of Connecticut. After Attorney Altman made her presentation, Jörg and his peers made connections from elements of her presentation to the plotline of Harper’s novel. As many students at the CREC Public Safety Academy are considering careers in the legal field, Ms. Altman concluded her discussion by explaining the post-secondary education and testing requirements for them to become attorneys.

The CREC Public Safety Academy is an interdistrict magnet high school located in Enfield. The school is open to students in grades 6-12 who are interested in learning more about or entering careers in public safety. The school has three theme focus areas: Law Enforcement, Fire Science & Emergency Medicine, and Law, Government and Homeland Security. The school prepares students for post-secondary education at the college level, so that they will be well prepared to learn the many important and complex tasks that an emergency responder carries out on a daily basis. The school also provides students with the public safety-related knowledge and experiences that will enable them to join the ranks of agencies that serve and protect their communities. The speaker series and the school’s collaborative relationships with local service personnel and agencies are central to the school’s curriculum.

CREC Schools are currently accepting applications for the 2014-2015 school year. For more information about the CREC Public Safety Academy, visit www.crecschools.org or attend an open house. Open houses for the CREC Public Safety Academy will be held on January 25 from 9:00-10:30 AM and February 25 from 6:00-7:30 PM at 117 Post Office Road in Enfield.