Why We Are Here

UPPER VALLEY 
INSTRUCTOR
SELECTED FOR
SUPREME COURT
SUMMER INSTITUTE

Upper Valley JVS academic instructor Keri Lovelace was recently notified that she was among the 60 teachers selected to attend the prestigious Supreme Court Summer Institute to be held in Washington, DC, in June.  After a highly-competitive application process that involved the submission of an essay application in which Lovelace profiled her educational background, employment history and future use of the material to be learned at the Institute.  She was also required to submit a letter of recommendation from her supervisor that provided a detailed analysis of her curriculum and professional educational experience.  A total of 175 applications were received and reviewed, from which the 60 participants were selected.

The Institute offers teachers the opportunity to study recent Supreme Court cases in detail and learn innovative teaching methodology for conveying this information to students.  Well-known Supreme Court lawyers, reporters, scholars, and educators will be among the speakers and instructors for the Institute. Teachers will also have an opportunity to visit the Court and attend a reception there.

 Upon her return to the classroom in the fall, Lovelace plans to integrate the material from the Institute in her American Legal System classes.  When the Court grants certiorari and how
constitutional interpretation can differ among the justices will be further analyzed with her students.  Recent specific cases focusing on protests at military funerals, Miranda rights among juveniles, and life sentences without parole for juveniles will be added to units that Lovelace currently teaches on 1st, 4th, and 8th Amendment rights.  The Institute is designed to equip teachers with a variety of strategies by which to teach students about the US Supreme Court and its cases.

 Lovelace has been an instructor at the JVS since 1997 and has taught English, American History, and American Government.  In 2002, she introduced an American Legal System course as an elective option for the students.  The focus of this class is basic criminal law procedure.  Students study crime with the assistance of Officer Dave Short and Detective Jeremy Weber, both with the Piqua Police Department.  During the course, students “experience” a crime and then progress through a trial at the end of the semester.  Since that time, the enrollment in the program has increased to the point where seven sections are necessary to accommodate all interested students.

Lovelace earned a Bachelor of Science in Secondary Education, with concentrations in Political Science, History and English, from Wright State University.  She also has a Master of Arts in History from Wright State University.

Professionally, Lovelace has attended and presented at numerous educational conferences and events.  In 2008, she was a participant at the Supreme Court of Ohio Off-Site Court Program.  The program provided attendees with an opportunity to better understand the complexities of judicial interpretation as they heard cases regarding the topics of OVI punishments and also the certification of a canine and a valid search of a residence. Lovelace and her husband Rick reside in Dayton.