CONNEAUT – The only courtrooms most middle-school students see are on television.
Through the My Day in Court program, each of the eighth graders at Conneaut Middle School attend a session in Conneaut Municipal Judge Nick Iarocci’s courtroom during the fall and winter months. After their experiences, the students were asked to write an essay.
The Rotary Club of Conneaut invited 10 of those eighth graders, including Kaitlyn Winner, Meira Weidler, Karsen Daye, Ava Hyde, Violet Miller, Emily Cutlip, Lily Bennett, Josh Harmon, Blake French and Cassidy Miller, to read their essays during a meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 24, at the Conneaut Arts Center.
The experience opened the eyes of the students a little.
“As the day in court went on, I realized that court is a lot more important than I thought,” Bennett said. “It is more than just putting people in jail and paying fines. It’s about the importance of finding out the truth about people and finding out more about people that you can’t see on the outside of them.”
“During the traffic case it showed me that driving has a lot more to it than I thought it would,” Bennett said. “Driving needs to be taken seriously.”
The students were introduced to a variety of defendants and alleged crimes.
“It also showed me how reckless and careless people can be and that they don’t think about things before doing them,” Cassidy Miller wrote. “Every case was different and unique in their own way and I was very interested in all of them. It also showed us that each person has a different reaction to everything, some of them are angry, some don’t care, some are scared, and some are calm.”
Some of the cases confounded the students.
“A young adult around the age of 20 was caught speeding 25 miles (per hour) over the speed limit,” Winner said. “The young adult said he did not know he was going that fast. My personal thoughts were running through my head, thinking, ‘How can you not know how fast you are going when every other car is going slower?’ I felt confused when I was in that moment because of the way the judge was talking. It was hard to go off of.”
A case involving a defendant operating a boat under the influence made Cassidy Miller raise her eyebrows.
“My thoughts on the case were that the charge was a bit too low for everything he had done, and his response was careless, in my opinion,” Cassidy Miller wrote. “It impacted me by showing me how careless people could be, and it made me feel a bit angry because people could have gotten hurt or killed because of this reckless act. His demeanor when he was being asked questions was monotone and uncaring almost while his expression was dull and also uncaring which made me a bit mad.”
Cutlip wrote of a case that jarred her as she knew the male defendant, who pleaded guilty to telecommunications harassment and misuse of credit cards. The defendant was handed a fine and ordered to keep his distance from the victim.
“The verdict that Judge Iarocci gave (the defendant) felt fair to me,” Cutlip said. “What reason do you have to harass someone or misuse credit cards? This case stuck out to me because I knew (the defendant), since he was a family friend. So it was shocking to hear about his charges and the potential consequences to them, since I never expected him to be the type of man to execute those kinds of actions or words.”
Daye wrote of an OVI case that was heard.
“The police officer who pulled him over did a breathalyzer test on him and he was over the limit by a long shot,” Daye said. “This means that he was intoxicated while driving. As punishment, the judge restricted his use of alcohol, [the defendant] would be getting random chemical checks to ensure he wasn’t doing drugs or drinking alcohol, and his license was suspended for the time being. I understood why he got this punishment but I couldn’t help but feel sorrow. I don’t think he understood the outcome of his actions. But I knew that the punishments he faced were right and he needed them to ensure he wouldn’t go back into his old habits or risk the safety of others.”
French had also known one of the defendants on prior occasions and was interested in how the case played out.
“Throughout our meetings, I had made many observations on his traits, which I thought were a bit strange,” French wrote. “This case sealed the deal in my final analysis of him. What I gathered from the exchanges between him and Judge Iarocci was that (the defendant) allegedly was stopped and tried to hide a firearm from police officers. This is when the officers noticed that (the defendant) was under the influence.”
The exchange between the defendant and Iarocci was interesting to French.
“Even though (the defendant) was in the court for two very serious felonies, he remained very respectful, even referring to the judge as, ‘Your Honor,’” French wrote. “Witnessing this case affected me in a few different ways, the main being respect. Judge Iarocci had previously gotten very upset during an exchange. I believe this was due to the lack of respect displayed in the courtroom by the defendant. In (this) case, the judge was very calm and didn’t raise his voice one bit. This truly showed me that respect goes a long way, especially when you’re in a courtroom.”
Harmon took a lesson from a case in which a man and his ex-girlfriend were to take their daughter trick-or-treating. The woman canceled the plans, but the man showed up anyway and saw the woman with another man, prompting him to smash a pumpkin into the other man’s windshield.
“I look back on this case and think about how I should not let emotions take over,” Harmon said. “Even if it was something little that happens to you, you still have to keep your emotions in check so that it doesn’t turn into a larger problem. In this case, you can see that the defendant had a problem with keeping his emotions in check.”
Hyde was in agreement with Harmon.
“I think this case was very intriguing, and if what (the defendant) said was true, then I would likely understand his anger, but the way he let it out was definitely unacceptable,” Hyde said.
Weidler made a point of paying attention to how each case played out.
“One case involved a man who had committed theft, a first-degree misdemeanor,” Weidler said. “However, he had become homeless and was unable to show up in court, and he had a 10-year warrant. When he turned himself in, I was thinking about what could have happened and how it could’ve gone differently. As I watched this case, I realized how serious the court is and how it can seriously impact the people who have to go to court.”
The courtroom experience made an impact on the students beyond the cases they witnessed.
“I liked that everyone was respectful to Judge Iarocci and that they were on their best behavior,” Violet Miller said. “I also felt very respected the second I stepped foot into the courtroom. I don’t always feel respected as a 14-year-old eighth-grader in 2026, so I really appreciated it. The staff of the court that had come in to introduce themselves were so sweet and I enjoyed learning about them.”
Hyde is hopeful the program continues for future generations.
“Overall, the entire Day in Court experience was phenomenal,” Hyde said. “The cases were not only entertaining, but educational at the same time. The judge was kind and seemed to enjoy what he does, and all of the workers seemed to be happy to be employed under him. I hope this program lasts for many years to come and I know that no matter how many years pass, I will be unable to forget my experience with it.”
