During this pandemic, the Wood County courthouse tour is being sent to students virtually.

During this pandemic, the Wood County courthouse tour is being sent to students virtually.

On a usual spring day, the Wood County courthouse would be bustling with Bowling Green sixth graders taking a tour of the fascinating history of the 1896 building.

But in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic and stay-at-home orders, Wood County Common Pleas Judge Matt Reger needed to get creative.

So, Judge Reger brought the courthouse to the students – virtually. He created a video showing the historic tour and sent copies to teachers.

“The idea behind this is that I knew the sixth graders may be bored, and I still want them to be intrigued by the courthouse,” Judge Reger said. “We had 400 students lined up to come in May. Since we do so many things virtually, I decided to create a video.”

The video shows off the beauty and incredible history of the Wood County courthouse, including a picture of the first jury to hear a case there in 1896. Among the building’s murals is a depiction of lady justice blindfolded.

“Justice is blind to who people are,” Judge Reger explains in his video narration. “It doesn’t look at one’s color, race, or sex. It only looks at the facts of the case."

Teachers were grateful that their students can see highlights of the tour without entering the building.

“It is a tremendous experience that connects students to the variety of ways that government benefits their lives,” said Rob Morgan, teacher at Bowling Green Middle School.  

Judge Reger hopes that when the crisis has subsided, he can see once again the faces and laughter of sixth graders learning about the significance of the courthouse and what it provides to the public.

“It’s a great program, the kids love it, and get excited,” he said. “We give them the history and the courtroom and its functions.”

There is still homework for the students, though.  They have a follow-up assignment on what they learned from the virtual tour.

“Students wrote questions to end the online lesson,” Morgan said. “Their questions were sent to presenters, completing a standard way to end the online virtual session. Based on the questions asked, the students listened carefully to the tour.”