A long-standing tradition for the Academy of ACS Athens since 2002, the Truman Trial is a mock trial of President Harry S. Truman re-enacted by the entire 10th grade, during which they are called to decide whether Truman was guilty of crimes against humanity or if his use of the atomic bomb in WWII was justified.

This year, the Truman Trial returned to the ACS Athens theater on April 11th and 12th after a two-year reprieve.

The trial was set in 1959 and was created by the student “attorney” led prosecution and defense teams with live witnesses and impromptu cross-examination from each side. Each year the trial date changes, requiring each side to adjust to the information that was known at that time.This year, following two days of testimonies, the 9th-grade jury delivered a verdict of not guilty! 

Thanks to the work of our technical and theater staff, this year’s trial was live-streamed, so that everyone will be able to enjoy the extraordinary action and testimonies of the students. 

Here are the links for the live streams via YouTube for this year’s Truman Trial:

• DAY 1 –  https://youtu.be/s72U03YsMPM
• Day 2 –  https://youtu.be/CWI9qwt5FhA

 A special thank you to the teachers of Combo 10, who have made this event possible: Mrs. Coklas, Mr. Lianos, Mr. Gontzes, and Mr. Frangos who carefully scaffolded and planned their lessons to maximize engagement, integrate the curriculum, and challenge students to create arguments that have not been used before. Above all, they empowered students to take the lead as architects of their own learning, combined with some friendly competition, to create memorable learning experiences.  

Congratulations to all of the 10th-grade students with this year’s Truman Trial, 22 years running, since 2001.