Complete Story
09/15/2016
Educators Will Kick Off School Year at Civics Conference
COLUMBUS (September 15, 2016) - More than 100 educators will come to Columbus on September 18 and 19 to attend the Ohio Center for Law-Related Education’s 26th annual Law & Citizenship Conference. The conference is a statewide gathering of teachers, professors, lawyers, and other civic and law-related education professionals who come together to share curriculum, effective teaching strategies, and best practices. This year’s theme is “Democracy in Action: Teaching Students About Elections” and topics include: civil rights and the ballot box, the electoral college, political cartoons, and the role of the media in elections.
Award winning political cartoonist Arthur “Chip” Bok is the featured keynote speaker. Bok is a multi-award winning cartoonist, formerly serving as staff editorial cartoonist for the Akron Beacon Journal. Through Los Angeles-based Creators Syndicate, Chip Bok’s cartoons appear worldwide in publications including The Times of London, Chicago Tribune, Washington Post, New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Time, and Newsweek. He is a member of the steering committee for The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press in Arlington, Virginia. Bok is author of two cartoon history books: Bok! the 9.11 Crisis in Political Cartoons (University of Akron Press, 2002), A Recent History of the United States in Political Cartoons: A Look Bok! (University of Akron Press, 2005).
The conference also serves as the official release of the Ohio Mock Trial case. Ohio Mock Trial offers an innovative approach to learning about law and how our legal system functions. Guided by teachers and volunteer legal advisors, students participate in an original, unscripted simulated trial written by attorneys. The state finals are held at the Ohio Statehouse, and the winner advances to the national competition.
OCLRE is a non-profit, nonpartisan organization whose goal is to improve society by developing citizens empowered with an understanding of our democratic system. OCLRE is sponsored by the Supreme Court of Ohio, Ohio Attorney General, Ohio State Bar Association and the American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio Foundation. OCLRE programs are funded in part by a grant from the Ohio State Bar Foundation. For more information, visit www.oclre.org.
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