The Indiana Supreme Court’s educational outreach program, Courts in the Classroom, is the recipient of the Indiana Historical Society’s 2009 Indiana History Outstanding Project Award.  The Court is receiving the award for its work on the “Why Lincoln Was A Lawyer” program.  Chief Justice Randall T. Shepard will accept the award Monday, December 7, 2009 at the Historical Society’s Founders Day Dinner.
 
“Why Lincoln Was A Lawyer” was a collaborative effort between the Indiana Supreme Court and the Indiana State Bar Association (ISBA) to educate schoolchildren on Abraham Lincoln’s life as a lawyer, Hoosier and president.  On February 12, 2009, the 200th anniversary of Lincoln’s birth, hundreds of judges and attorneys visited Indiana schools to discuss Lincoln. “We estimate 30,000 children learned about Abraham Lincoln through this program.  It was exciting to see how many judges, lawyers, teachers and students enjoyed celebrating the life of a great American,” said Chief Justice Shepard.

As part of the program, the Court and the ISBA distributed materials about Abraham Lincoln to participating classrooms across the state.  Courts in the Classroom also offered free Lincoln lesson plans for teachers.  Dr. Elizabeth Osborn, Assistant to the Chief Justice for Court History & Public Education, developed the program and explained, “The lesson plans we developed concentrate on civic duties, constitutional law, and the privileges of citizenship.  They are available online for teachers to access any time they are teaching about Lincoln or the law.  We are honored to receive recognition from the Indiana Historical Society for this program and hope it draws renewed attention to the materials available about Abraham Lincoln.”
 
Courts in the Classroom (CITC) is the educational outreach program of the Indiana Supreme Court.  Its goal is to help teachers, students, historians, and interested citizens learn more about the history and operation of Indiana’s judicial branch.  For more information visit courts.in.gov/citc. 

The Indiana Historical Society’s award is given each year to an organization that has implemented an exceptional educational event or history project relating to its mission.  Courts in the Classroom shares the award with the Ball State University Department of History and the Wabash County Historical Museum.  For more information about the Indiana Historical Society, call (317) 232-1882 or visit www.indianahistory.org