After arguing a court case for the better part of two days, Joshua Puckett and Mashayla Hays, both 18, were still eager to continue and passionate about the issue — a female student who was suspended after wearing a tuxedo to school in protest.
The Central High School students did such a good job presenting their arguments at the Marshall-Brennan National Moot Court Competition that Joshua won first place and Mashayla was named runner-up.
It was the first time in the tournament's history that two students from the same school finished in the top four, said Joe Gutmann, a law and government teacher at Central.
During the Moot Court Competition, held April 2-3 in Philadelphia, students argued an actual case involving students' rights under the First Amendment before a three-judge panel, much like lawyers do in an appeals court or the Supreme Court.
Students from various Marshall-Brennan programs sponsored by law schools around the country compete. Gutmann's students participate in the ACLU Marshall-Brennan Program through a partnership with the University of Louisville.
By: Tamara Evans -
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LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB Fox 41) -- American Civil Liberties Union of Kentucky and the Muhammad Ali Institute hosted a Youth Rights Conference for students wanting to learn and take a stand.
It's a conference these teens from across Kentucky help plan themselves, coming up with topics they want to know more about.
"A couple of years ago we had someone who infiltrated the Ku Klux Klan. That's pretty intense," says Rachel Swanson, a Senior at Bryan Station High School.
"Domestic violence. I would like to find out more about that and learn the statistics about domestic violence cases in Kentucky, says Dwight Haggard, a student at Central High School.
"One year we learned a lot about hate crimes and I really didn't know it was that much of an issue so I started looking into it more and more and became inspired by that," says Rachel Swanson.
Dating Violence, Comprehensive Sex Ed, the Dream Act, bullying and even access to nutritious foods were also topics on the minds of these teens from across Kentucky.
Some of the issues were recently before the General Assembly. Some of those bills were not passed, that these students want to know more about.
"I know our legislators really value youth so hopefully this will give them an opportunity to hear from them," says Kate Miller with the American Civil Liberties Union of Kentucky," says Kate Miller.
The main goal here at the conference is getting other teens to take notice of the issues.
"Just make them aware that things like this do happen...immigration, domestic violence..things like that. You just need to be more aware about things that are happening in the country," says Dwight Haggard.
They're also learning how to fight back, and stand up for what they believe in.
"You don't really hear much about it from the school environment, so come to things like this you get more information about it so you can make your own decision about what you think is right," says Dwight Haggard.
"I come because there's a group of people I've never before, but they all have opinions and are all excited about eventually changing the world," says Rachel Swanson.
The conference also featured keynote speakers from across the country that have been personally impacted by the DREAM Act, and bullying.
A shocking number of Kentuckians are pushed into prison's revolving door before they are adults.
In 2009, Kentucky locked up almost 2,000 juveniles who committed status offenses, such as truancy or running away, alongside violent juveniles and those who had committed serious crimes.
Kentucky detains juvenile status offenders at the second-highest rate in the nation.
This is a devastating video of Wendy Walsh reading her son's suicide note. Seth recently killed himself after a particularly brutal day of bullying, he had been harassed because of his sexual orientation. Seth's words articulate the need for enhanced protection of all youth who are targets of bullying.
