Ethan Matz transformed Comsewogue classroom into  courtroom for mock trial team 

The verdict is in: A Terryville teen is guilty of creating what his school’s administrators are calling a “dynamic learning space for students.”

Ethan Matz, a senior at Comsewogue High School in Port Jefferson Station, recently transformed a classroom at the school into a mock courtroom with a witness stand and a judge’s bench on a raised platform. The space is used by the school’s roughly 20-student mock trial team as well as by students in classes from global history to psychology, school officials said.

Matz, a Boy Scout, tackled the project to earn his Eagle Scout Award, the highest achievement within the Boy Scouts of America. He is a member of Troop 354 in Port Jefferson Station.

“It actually came out better than I thought it would,” said Matz, 17. “It gives students a better feel of what it’s like to be in a courtroom.”

Matz said he devised the idea for the classroom makeover last school year when he was enrolled in Comsewogue’s mock trial class, then in its inaugural year and taught by now-retired social studies teacher Jay McGuinness. The room had previously been decorated with basic courtroom-like features that were “not in the best condition,” Matz said.

To prepare for the renovation, Matz said he raised money through an arrangement with the burger chain Five Guys in Port Jefferson Station, which donated 20% of its proceeds on a given day to his project, raising $70 for materials. He also received discounts and donations of plywood from local Home Depot stores.

Matz’s fellow troop members pitched in to stain and install plywood and add molding to give the room “a courtroom look and feel,” he said.

“We are incredibly proud of Ethan for his hard work, leadership and vision in bringing this project to life,” said Michael Mosca, Comsewogue High School principal. “This classroom will serve as a dynamic learning space for our students, providing them with the opportunity to experience the real-world applications of their studies.”

“The room looks amazing, and it really adds a level of professionalism,” said Comsewogue social studies teacher Kyle Schauss. “With mock trial, we’re going through fictitious trials but acting as if they are real, so the room looking like it does now adds an element of gravitas and really immerses the students in learning. We’re incredibly grateful to Ethan.”

By Michael R. Ebert

michael.ebert@newsday.com

Michael R. Ebert is an education researcher and has worked for Newsday in various capacities since 2003. He was part of an 11-person team named as 2008 Pulitzer Prize finalists for investigative coverage of the LIRR's platform safety issues.