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NATIONAL MENTORING MONTH SPOTLIGHT: Retired Heyward Gibbes Teacher Valerie James Returns to Serve as Mock Trial Club Advisor, Teach Students Important Life Lessons

Group of students and a woman standing. Two girls are holding a plaque on the left. A boy is holding a different plaque on the right.

The 2024-2025 school year marks the first time in 30 years that Heyward Gibbes Middle School has had a mock trial club. As club members, students learn about the legal system and the different roles in a courtroom.

Valerie James, the advisor of the Legal Eagles mock trial club, taught social studies at Heyward Gibbes for 41 years before retiring in 2022. During her tenure at Heyward Gibbes, she was the mock trial club advisor for two years.

When she was asked to lead the mock trial club again, James says she was hesitant at first, but her love for the students was what brought her back to Heyward Gibbes.

“I was really missing the students during my retirement,” she said.

Fifteen students are in the mock trial club this year. Students can serve as witnesses, attorneys, timekeepers and bailiffs during the mock trials. They look through court cases assigned to them before deciding what roles they want to take on in the courtroom. Students who are more comfortable with public speaking often choose to be witnesses or attorneys.

Sixth-grade student Tiaunna Chisholm says being a witness is harder than being an attorney because witnesses must memorize a script, while attorneys can use notes.

“When you’re a witness, you have no papers or sticky notes. It all comes from your memory. Being a witness takes a lot more studying and a lot more commitment,” Tiaunna said.

However, James says being an attorney is just as difficult as being a witness because attorneys must think on their feet. Eighth-grade student Richard Keith says using that skillset is why he enjoys being an attorney.

“As a witness, you have to remember one testimony. As an attorney, you have to remember all of your witnesses’ testimonies. If they mess up, you can fix it or call them out on it,” he said. “I like trying to trick up my opposing side’s witness during questioning so that they say the wrong thing and help my side win the case.”

James admits that she’s no expert in the courtroom, but she’s been in close proximity to the legal profession for a long time. Her husband is a defense attorney and her son is a labor lawyer. Last semester, a public defender from the South Carolina Bar Association volunteered every week to give her expertise to the Legal Eagles.

“I don’t know anything about being a lawyer, but I know enough to handle middle school mock trial competitions. I can get help when I need it,” said James.

Girl standing and reading from paper. Another girl is sitting in a chair. A woman is standing and looking on.

The Legal Eagles were one of three Richland One middle school mock trial clubs to advance to the South Carolina Bar Association’s Middle School Mock Trial State Competition, following the Columbia Regional Competition in November 2024.

During the state competition in December 2024, the Legal Eagles were awarded the Professionalism and Civility Award, which highlights the importance of professionalism among teams competing in a mock trial competition. The teams who participated in the competition voted for the school that showed the most professionalism.

“I shed tears of joy when they called our name. It was such a huge thing. It was great for our school to come back after 30 years and win this award,” Tiaunna said.

One important trait that James teaches the students through their participation in the Legal Eagles is kindness, which she says helped the club win the award.

“A lot of times when people watch TV, they see attorneys going after witnesses ruthlessly. That’s just television. We have to show people respect and decency,” said James. “I was really proud of the way the students were able to shake hands and wish the other team good luck before each trial. After a trial, they would tell students from the other team what a good job they did.”

Recognitions like the Professionalism and Civility Award bring back memories for James. She recalls a student who was in Heyward Gibbes’ mock trial club 30 years ago. James says the student, who was an attorney in the mock trial, highly impressed an actual courtroom judge during a competition.

“The judge told me, ‘That child practices better law as a seventh-grader than most attorneys I have come in front of me,’” she said.

James says kindness will benefit students in the future, even if they don’t want to be attorneys.

“Students don’t always see kindness at home and in their neighborhood. For the students to be able to show kindness out in public, it’s going to go a long way for them,” she said.

James encourages others to become mentors because students need more adults from outside the school to support them. She says something as simple as sitting down with a student during lunch will make their day.

“If you love kids, being a mentor is natural for you,” said James.

January is National Mentoring Month. For more information about mentoring opportunities in Richland One, go to www.RichlandOne.org/Mentor.