Johnson County Circuit Court Judge Andy Roesener, far right, recently visited Break-O-Day Elementary School in New Whiteland, where he oversaw the mock trial of an alleged brownie thief, center, while first-grader Corey Brissey got to try on the role of judge. (Photo/Connor Burress of TheStatehouseFile.com)
The Constitution is hard. Hard to understand and hard to explain. Scholars, lawmakers, Supreme Court justices, students—they’ve been arguing over what it means for almost 250 years.
Now imagine trying to explain the Constitution to a group of a hundred 5- and 6-year-olds at 9 in the morning in a school cafeteria.
On Thursday, Johnson County Circuit Court Judge Andy Roesener visited Break-O-Day Elementary School in New Whiteland to give a presentation on the Constitution as well as what he does as a judge. The Indiana Judicial Branch organized this event as a celebration of Constitution Day, when 48 judges across the state visited students and civic groups to talk about this historic document.
Roesener said he aimed to give the students the basic idea and history of the Constitution as simply and entertainingly as possible.
“We chatted a little bit, but given the age of the kids, we’re just trying to impart some real basic ideas about the formation of the country and how the Constitution fits into that,” he said. “The goal was to have them have a little bit of fun and maybe walk away with a couple of ideas about the Constitution and our country.”
For Roesener, these visits with schoolchildren are chances for him to give back to his community and break up the routine of his job.
“These are nice opportunities. Like lots of jobs, you sort of go in and do the same thing over and over. And that’s the job. I like doing it,” he said. “But it’s always good to come out. I do this a fair amount. I’ve done it at college, I do it at high schools, grade schools. It gives me a break from the day-to-day stuff, which is always nice.
“And I love interacting with these kids. [It’s] super fun for me.”
One of the things Roesener taught these first-graders was what he does on a day-to-day basis as a judge. In a mock trial, he invited a student, Corey Brissey, to play the role of judge in a pretend case of a stolen brownie.
As the judge, Corey had the opportunity to wear Roesener’s robe, the sleeves of which covered his hands, and he used his gavel to make the final decision
“I liked the part I was the judge,” he said afterward.
Caroline Duncan, one of the first-grade teachers at Break-O-Day, watched the presentation with her class with the hope that her students, who likely never met a judge before, would take something away from the event.
“It was great, I loved being able to hear from a real source,” she said. “I think some of it might have been big language for them as first graders, but I think they understand a little bit more about our country’s history from his speech and a little bit about what a judge does in his life.”
Connor Burress is a reporter for TheStatehouseFile.com, a news site powered by Franklin College journalism students.
