Thirty-five Cuellar Elementary third, fourth and fifth graders in the National Junior Honor Society spent half the day at the United States Federal Courthouse learning about the important role of the legal system.

 

Diana Saldaña, who serves as the United States District Court Judge for the Southern District of Texas in Laredo, was approached by Cuellar’s fourth-grade lead teacher Miriam Palomarez with the idea of bringing the bright youngsters downtown to the courthouse.

 

“She told me she really wanted to expose her students to the federal court system so they could understand the role of the judiciary in our government … We were just ecstatic to host these National Junior Honor Society students from Cuellar,” Saldaña said.

 

The students started their day in United States Magistrate Judge Diana Song Quiroga’s courtroom to observe proceedings involving defendants who allegedly entered the country illegally after having been deported previously. Some wide-eyed students whispered, “Is this real?”

 

After the proceeding, Judge Quiroga told students, “This is just one little part of what we do.” 

 

The students, along with their Principal Wendy Nunez and other teachers, went on to meet with the Probation Department, with FBI Special Agent Zeus Garcia, the U.S. Marshall’s Office, the Clerk’s Office and Homeland Security Investigations. 

 

The students were also treated to pizza and a mock trial in which they had to figure out whether Santa Claus was guilty of breaking into the Grinch’s house and stealing cookies.

 

Aleksi Gonzalez, a fifth grader, said she especially enjoyed the presentation by the FBI special agent.

 

“We learned how the courthouse works and what they do at the front offices,” she said. Fourth grader Maya Jimenez said she especially enjoyed the portion with the U.S. Marshall’s Office.

 

Isabella Solares, a rising senior at Alexander High School and a Kazen Fellow Program graduate, organized the other volunteers from AHS during the program. 

Cuellar Elementary students sit in on court proceedings at the downtown federal courthouse

Cuellar Elementary students learned about the judicial system during a mock trial involving the Grinch and Santa Claus

National Junior Honor Society students from Cuellar Elementary visit the downtown federal courthouse to learn about the legal process