Long-time volunteer Pete Miller explains the Visitor Education Center exhibit “Balance Your Government” to a group of students.

Long-time volunteer Pete Miller explains the Visitor Education Center exhibit “Balance Your Government” to a group of students.

It’s been 10 years since the ribbon was cut to open the Ohio Supreme Court Visitor Education Center. Since the ceremony on Dec. 12, 2005, more than 120,000 people have come through the doors.

The 4,400-square-foot education center, located on the Ground Floor of the Thomas J. Moyer Ohio Judicial Center, was conceived by the late Chief Justice Moyer. Interactive displays provide visitors with an understanding and appreciation of the history, role, and responsibilities of the Ohio court system. Exhibits illustrate key elements of significant Ohio court cases with items such as a model 9-foot cannon, a bathroom sink, and the back end of a car.

“In early discussions about the project, Chief Justice Moyer expressed the importance of linking each of the panels and exhibits to specific stories about individuals – be they plaintiffs, judges, or a circus performer shot out of a cannon. To him, the key to informing both student and adult audiences was illustrating cases, points of law, and freedoms through storytelling,” according to Civic Education Manager Jay Wuebbold.

The groundbreaking idea has netted the Visitor Education Center awards from the Ohio Museum Association.

“Our education center is among a handful of similar facilities at state supreme courts in the country, and it’s an important educational outreach for the judiciary,” Chief Justice Maureen O’Connor said. “Chief Justice Moyer remarked in 2005 that his hope would be for visitors to leave with knowledge that ‘will either broaden or reshape their view of civil society.’ I believe we’ve been able to fulfill that hope in the last decade, and we look forward to welcoming visitors in the decades to come.”

Volunteer tour guides play an important role in the center’s success. Pete Miller’s been a volunteer since the center opened.

“I enjoy leading the tours. This is a way for me to give back by educating the new generations of our children about how the judicial system works,” Miller said. “I think the best part of the tour is when students participate in the mock trial. They seem to enjoy acting out the parts and it provides them an engaging experience about how trial courts operate and what a trial is like.”

Miller added that a favorite of the students is the interactive scale where they try to balance the three branches of government.

While the anniversary will pass with little fanfare, the Visitor Education Center will be humming with activity as school groups and others learn about the foundations of the judicial system.