Not one, but five trials were held for Beowulf in Prince Edward County High School this past week. English teacher Mary Jane Cook held “court” as the honorable judge.

The mock trials allowed Cook’s senior English students to put their knowledge about the epic poem Beowulf to the test. During the trials, participants were told Beowulf had traveled to modern times and was overheard telling tales of slaying dragons and killing Grendel and his mother. Thus, the “trials” took place to determine if Beowulf was guilty or not of the crimes he had professed.

The trials, which transpired over two class periods last Tuesday and Wednesday, required students to assume roles of lawyers, reporters, court artists, witnesses and, of course, Beowulf, himself. The students picked their roles in the trial, Cook said.

Cook’s five English classes each had their own trial throughout the day. Cook said she was excited about the project, adding this is the first year it has taken place.

Guest teachers and staff members from the school served as the jury for the trials. At the end of each class on Wednesday, the jurors concluded if Beowulf was guilty or innocent.

Because Cook has a background as a criminal defense attorney, she had the tools necessary to make the classroom trial feel more realistic for her students.

Beowulf, played by student Jamil Sprague, worked throughout the trial to prove his innocence, in part by proving the legitimacy of time travel. Jamil said he enjoyed being on the witness stand.

Before going on the stand, much like in a real trial, the students had to swear an oath to be honest. They raised their right hand, and placed their left on a copy of Beowulf.

Noah Christian, the mythologist in this particular class, agreed being on the witness stand was the best part. It was a new, but exciting experience he said, adding he hopes to have similar classroom opportunities in the future.

“I loved every second of it,” Noah said.

Cook said a trial was a “great way” to work on oral presentation and critical thinking skills.

“The students really have to pay attention and learn to think on their feet,” Cook said, adding she was proud of her students and that she learned from the experience just as they did. “I learned where I need to give additional support and guidance for when I do this in the future.”

She said she has wanted to do a project like this for a while, and found ways to incorporate research and writing assignments leading up to the trial.

For example, she said, students who volunteered to serve as courtroom artists had to research and write two paragraphs on what a courtroom artist does and what the qualifications are.

Another student, Cierra Allen, served as a “Farmville Herald reporter” during the trial and live tweeted throughout the two class periods. She said it was fun, but also a lot of work to follow what everyone was saying. Her favorite part of the experience, she said, was figuring out if the jury would charge Beowulf as guilty or not.

In one of Cook’s classes, Delen Patterson and Shawn Sweat performed the roles of prosecutors. They said they enjoyed the mock trial because they succeeded in their goal of sending Beowulf to jail. Patterson said they succeed because they “had more evidence and backup.”

“I got to show off my skills,” Sweat said proudly.