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Students take the stand Ashland Middle School student Ben Sandou presents a case at a mock legislative hearing made up of Ashland civic leaders. Mail Tribune / Denise Baratta Monday Nov 7, 2016 at 12:01 AM Nov 7, 2016 at 7:01 AM By Joe Zavala for the Mail Tribune Like many of his peers, Ashland Middle School eighth-grader Gavin Allen is familiar with social media and the influence it wields over his generation. Which is why he stood before a panel of Ashland civic leaders that included interim Superintendent Suzanne Cusick and City Councilor Greg Lemhouse Thursday and advised those who frequent sites such as Twitter and Facebook to take what they learn through digital conversations with a grain of salt. And check the facts. “For verification,” Allen said, “voters should try visiting websites like PolitiFact.com to check information found on social media.” Allen was one of more than 30 AMS students who testified before a five-person panel Thursday, the last day that local students participated in a mock legislative session that’s part of Classroom Law Project’s "We the People" program. Cusick, Lemhouse, Ashland High School Principal Erika Bare, Ashland School District Director of Business Services Jordan Ely and Classroom Law Project Executive Director Marilyn Cover played the roles of legislators during Thursday’s morning session, which lasted about an hour. The session was one of five held Wednesday and Thursday at the Ashland City Council chambers. As the “legislators” looked on from the councilor seats, the students — seventh- and eighth-graders — sat at a desk facing them in groups of four. One at a time, the students testified on a variety of subjects ranging from voting requirements in Oregon and ballot measures to more personal topics, such as what to do with unsafe drivers who put bicyclists in danger. The latter was brought up by eighth-grader Dean Wikander. “It’s kind of important to me because I ride my bike a lot,” Wikander said as he and the rest of his class hoofed it down East Main on their way back to the middle school. “It’s just that a lot of times people won’t signal, or they take really sharp turns. The bikers have the same rules as cars, they’re supposed to signal and everything. I follow the rules, but the cars don’t seem to do it.” During his testimony, Wikander argued that drivers who disobey the rules of the road should face fines that are stiffer than the ones currently in place. Overall, he said, he was pleased with his performance but would have liked to have had a better answer to one of the questions posed by a legislator. “I wasn’t really nervous,” he said, “but once she asked me the question, I kind of messed up.” Ashland Middle School social studies teacher Karoli Cadarette said her students researched their topics thoroughly, wrote out their presentations and even worked on deflecting questions they couldn't answer: “To admit it,” she said, “but then share some additional information that they had to share.” Overall, she said, it was a great experience for several reasons. “I think they did great,” she said. “This is their first opportunity to really express their opinions and have opinions about political topics — they’re just coming to that age where it becomes a conscious thing for them. And getting up in front of a group like that was really nerve-wracking for them. And they did it.” "We the People" is one of several programs offered by the Classroom Law Project, a nonprofit that touts itself as “Oregon’s leader in preparing youth to become active, engaged and informed participants in democratic society.” Cover, who oversaw a similar mock hearing in Shady Cove Thursday afternoon, said she was impressed with what she saw and heard in Ashland. “I was ecstatic,” she said. “The fact that they can back up what they say with some research and some evidence shows you that they understand that a lot of what people say on social media is not supported with concrete evidence, and they understand that that’s something that’s really important in order to have civic dialogue.” Encouraging students to look closely at such issues is what drives Cover, who met Cadarette during a conference Sept. 24. “That’s my whole passion,” Cover said, “to get out there and offer teacher workshops, professional development opportunities that are meaningful for teachers so that they can see why not only the content’s important, but the activities and strategies that you use to give students a chance to practice thinking this stuff through before they actually turn 18 and are asked to vote and make a wise decision. That’s so important at this stage.” — Joe Zavala is a reporter for the Ashland Daily Tidings. Reach him at 541-821-0829 or [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter at @Joe_Zavala99.