About 45 students from five high schools gathered Friday for the third annual Law and You Quiz Bowl at the Superior Court of the Virgin Islands in Barbell Plaza. When the dust had settled at the end of the day, the kids from Seventh-day Adventist School were holding the first-place trophy, but all of them were winners, according to VIPD Officer Roy Chesterfield, coordinator of the contest.
"The kids were great," Chesterfield said. "I never learned this when I was going to school. I didn’t know the law and, like most kids, I made mistakes that could have had serious consequences."
The program engages students, helping them be able to make better choices in their lives.
Friday’s competition was in a "quiz bowl" format, with students racing to answer questions for a panel of judges that included attorneys and law enforcement officials. Unlike some fields, where there is only one correct answer, the technicalities of the law sometimes allowed for more free-ranging debate, Chesterfield said.
Chesterfield added he hopes more students, including students from St. Croix, will be able to take part next year.
Following the first place team from Seventh-day Adventist were the students from Sts. Peter and Paul School in second and the team from Ivanna Eudora Kean High School in third. Also taking part were teams from All Saints Cathedral School and Charlotte Amalie High School.
The Virgin Islands Police Department School Security Bureau officers have conducted the Law and You program since 1999. The Law and You curriculum teaches students about responsibility and the consequences of being involved in criminal activities, while the students study aspects of V.I. and constitutional law.
The Police Department partners with Project Safe Neighborhoods, Department of Education, Department of Justice, the Office of the Attorney General, the Superior Court and the Bureau of Corrections on the event.
