SPHS teacher participates in institute held in D.C.

Spain Park High School’s Libby Day was one of 21 teachers from across the nation selected to attend the ninth annual Federal Trials and Great Debates in U.S. History Summer Institute for Teachers in Washington, D.C.

 The institute was established to give teachers an inside view of federal court cases that never reach the Supreme Court but are significant. Teachers study the essential legal questions each case presents and develop strategies to incorporate judicial history into their school’s history and government curricula.

“This institute provides teachers with an extraordinary opportunity to gain insight and access to the federal judiciary through these important historical cases,” said Bruce Ragsdale, director of the Federal Judicial History Office at the FJC.

One of the institute’s highlights was a visit to the U.S. Supreme Court, where teachers witnessed the justices release three decisions and met with Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. The teachers also attended a federal court trial, where they participated in a question and answer session with a U.S. District Court judge.