From left, Jay Mangel, Katie Dittman, Meghan Cratty, Ryan Dick and Katelyn Gordon were named the top legal team in a recent World Cultures project at Allegheny-Clarion Valley High School.

FOXBURG, Clarion County — Freshmen students World Cultures teacher Dixie Lipnichan's classes at Allegheny-Clarion Valley High School this past month participated in a curriculum to discourage underage drinking.

Lipnichan incorporated the nationally known Project Northland's Class Action curriculum into her classes.

To introduce her students to drinking issues around the world, Lipnichan and her student teacher, Todd Martin, designed six learning centers which dealt with topics such as drinking in ancient cultures, Islam and alcohol, and drinking ages and drunken driving laws around the world.

Students in each class were divided into five legal teams that argued these hypothetical cases: drinking and driving; fetal alcohol syndrome; violence and server liability; vandalism and server liability; and enforcement of school alcohol policies for athletes.

The students researched their topic and present the arguments to the class which served as the jury.

Through this program, students were given opportunity to debate the legal intricacies of alcohol-related cases involving teenagers and to examine the social and legal consequences of underage drinking.

Daniel Siegel Jr., chief of the Emlenton Police Department, visited the school and was interviewed by some student legal teams.

The A-C Valley Student Help through Assessment Recommendation and Education team members were introduced to the students and served as expert witnesses in cases.

The winning legal team consisted on Meghan Cratty, Katie Dittman, Jay Mangel, Katelyn Gordon, and Ryan Dick. The top three attorneys were Abby Hindman, Mariah Painter, and Shayla Bartley.

Winners on Dec. 21 received a $10 Destinta Theater gift certificate.