Northstar's Law School — NorthStar Navigator

by Aaron Cady

**Judge's Hammer and Gavel** by **zimmytws's Images**
**Created in Canva**

NorthStar Academy is an online school. This means that NorthStar can offer some very unique classes. One of these classes is Law and Order: Intro to Legal Studies, taught by Mrs. Rachel Knipe. This course includes many different legal topics. "This course covers the history of law and the lawmaking process," Mrs. Knipe said, "students also delve into several different areas of law like civil and criminal law, international law, and consumer law." The course involves a unit on specific laws, such as the Bill of Rights, and the course also examines the functions and purposes of laws in our societies.

Mrs. Knipe has been teaching at NorthStar since 2009. She has taught English and social studies classes. Currently, she is teaching Law and Order as well as a class on government. “Both courses hold hands with each other content-wise, so it’s been a pleasure to dig into both this year with our amazing NSA students,” said Mrs. Knipe. However, those two classes are not Mrs. Knipe’s main job at NSA. “The majority of my time at NSA is spent with our amazing teachers,” she says, “I am the Assistant Principal for Curriculum and Instruction and that long title essentially says that I cheer on our teachers as they work diligently to write and creating meaningful and engaging courses for our students.”

Before coming to NorthStar, Mrs. Knipe worked at a public school outside of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She began to search the internet for online, Christian schools. “Clearly God was directing the search engine because NorthStar popped up and low and behold, they were advertising an opening in social studies, a subject which both fascinates and inspires me,” Mrs. Knipe said. She has a Bachelor's degree in Political Science, and when an opportunity to teach this class came up, she jumped at the chance to teach it. She has taught the course since 2012-13 and enjoys it.

The first type of law many people think of is criminal law, with a defendant and jury. Others think of civil law, with a lawsuit worth millions of dollars. Both of these are examples of law, and both are covered in the class. Students can study examples of past lawsuits. "We discuss the importance of legal precedents and how they help to promote and secure the rule of law in our society," Mrs. Knipe explains. Students also get to put themselves into the shoes of lawyers, judges, and others in the courtroom.

An important part of the legal system is the Supreme Court. The court will examine cases and laws and then give an opinion. Often, these opinions can be controversial. Is this aspect of the legal system examined in the course? "Not so much in this course," says Mrs. Knipe. "In the United States Government course, we talk about judicial activism and judicial restraint."

Law and Order: Intro to Legal Studies gives the students an overview of the legal system. What it is, what it does, and how it works are all covered in the class. Both US and international law are discussed. Deep questions, such as those about ethics or the role of Christians in lawmaking, are very much a part of the class. "While the course covers the basics of law and the court system, we do delve into questions surrounding ethics and our role as Christians in the journey for fairness and justice in our society," said Mrs. Knipe. "I enjoy interacting with and challenging our students as they wrestle with difficult legal and ethical issues; our ‘home base’ in those discussions is Scripture, and as such, the discussions I can hold with students are incredibly meaningful and fulfilling."

Aaron Cady is a junior at NorthStar and has been part of the school for five years. He has written for the Navigator for two years. Aaron loves writing, sports, and any mixtures of the two. Aaron hopes to pursue a career in writing or journalism when he graduates.