Cain to teach new introduction to law class

By Ari Howorth
Staff Writer

Starting next year, students will be able to participate in a new Introduction to Law class.

The semester-long class will be available to sophomores, juniors, and seniors and will be taught by CP government teacher Andy Caine (pictured below).

The course was last offered five years ago by Matt Harris, who is no longer teaching at Costa. Due to a lack of convenience and budget cuts, the class was eliminated from Costa’s curriculum. However, Caine has decided to teach it next year. He has a background in law and still practices it part-time.

“I think that it is going to be a lot of fun,” Caine said. “For someone who’s been a lawyer all his professional life, to be able to teach a class solely on law I think will be a lot of fun. I’m really excited.”

The class will focus on constitutional law issues, like freedom of speech and other civil rights. It also will focus on practical legal skills such as speaking and mock trials.

“Taking intro to law will be a great opportunity to learn more about a subject that I’m interested in pursuing,” junior Braden Casady said. “It will also be exciting to experience how the law works, especially from the mock trials.”

According to Vice Principal Jaime Mancilla, the number of students who sign up for introduction to law would ideally take up two full class periods because many have expressed an interest in the class.

“We are hoping that a lot of kids are interested,” Mancilla said. “To fill one class for each semester we would need about 60 kids. If we have more kids sign up than we have spots for, we will have to use preferential treatment.”

Students will receive elective credit for taking this class. According to Mancilla, it was designed as an option for students who must take a semester course and need to fill up their year, as this often complicates scheduling. However, Mancilla believes the majority of students signed up seem to have a genuine interest in the class.

“The class focuses on a profession that seriously interests a lot of students at this school,” junior Jack Rosenberg said. “It is also applicable in the real world.”

Caine looks forward to teaching the class next year. All Costa juniors have already scheduled for their senior year, and students have expressed interest in taking the class.

“I’m really looking forward to seeing how the class runs next year,” Mancilla said. “I want to see if the class garners interest so we can provide even more classes like it in the future.”