Law and Order: Belton New Tech @Waskow students learn about legal system

By MARIA PAKUTKA | Photos by BELTON ISD

Deep in the academic realm, there lies a school that is paving new, grand paths for its students to traverse with experience and confidence.

Through many programs, such as the criminal justice program, Belton New Tech @Waskow High School provides hands-on experiences for aspiring law students.

In an interview style, students are welcome to apply to New Tech, where, if accepted, they follow a four-year program of their choice. One of those students, Kaycee Piskorz, explained that Belton New Tech has multiple pathways for students to follow. She says there is a law program, graphic design, drones, and aerospace and aviation.

“AP psychology is amazing; so is our aerospace. Our government of our class has really good learning programs, so it’s fantastic,” fellow student Isabelle Allen adds.

According to Dr. Mark Durfee, a teacher and program leader for the law pathway at New Tech, “Students start off with a gateway course of courtroom systems and practices.”

Next school year, 2026-2027, is all about legal research and writing; then students will move on to either advanced legal skills or forensic science, which is a new program being offered this school year. Once students are at the end of their program, they are in a practicum where they apply all they learned with real law firms, such as the Carlson Law Firm.

“That’s the great thing about our program,” Piskorz said. “It’s not just students advising students. We also have these great opportunities of meeting actual lawyers and just getting to talk about it and exploring our passions within that realm because of how great our advisor is and how just wonderfully set up our school is.”

Often, the school even has attorneys from the Carlson Law Firm come in and talk with the students about their experiences in their specific field.

“They’ve sent us personal injury lawyers, trial lawyers, court lawyers, immigration attorneys,” Durfee added. “So, we’ve been able to see the full gamut in a very holistic manner.”

Because the school is smaller, student Alayna Prager explained, students have the opportunity for closer hands-on experiences.

“They can get the help they need if they’re struggling a bit,” she shared. “They gain public speaking skills, critical thinking skills, and they’re learning these skills that they can take with them too if they want to go to law school or any other future.”

For example, Prager is planning to pursue biology after her time at New Tech, and Allen is taking her experience with her by using it toward studying neuroscience and brain trauma. According to Allen, her learned skills at New Tech will help her communicate with her peers, create strong study habits, and she knows to create “roadmaps” for her presentations.

“What I like to do is have a roadmap of everything that I need to know for everything for my project.”

As for Piskorz, she spoke about how she would love to go into immigration and constitutional law.

“I mean, this is my passion,” she shared. “I always wanted to be an advocate for people who can’t necessarily speak for themselves or advocate for themselves. I want to ensure that everyone has the same protections that they’re supposed to.”

New Tech also has law students go through either mock or moot trials. According to the instructor, mock trials must have two student-led attorneys who act as both the prosecution and the defense. Then there are also the student-witnesses and the student-judge. Students perform within these different positions to gain a better understanding of how the courtroom works, and what is expected of these roles.

As Durfee further explained, the students also begin to understand the differing objections, the rules of evidence, and even the decorum of the courtroom. As for the moot trial, these are the more in-depth versions, which allow students “with a very analytical line to really dig into case precedent and case law.”

During her three years at New Tech, Piskorz has competed in moot-trial competitions for her school. “This year I went as a justice,” she said. “I actually ended up qualifying for nationals.”

Piskorz, Allen and Prager also help teach their peers through courtroom lessons. For instance Prager helps students with attorney brief writing while Piskorz helps with justice brief writing. Durfee said the New Tech students often click better with their peers.

“When we listen to our peers, they speak our language,” he added.

“I’m definitely happy that I went here,” Allen said. “I made lifetime friends, and I’m just really excited about my next chapter.”