CASSOPOLIS —  Thursday evening, the meeting room of the Cass County Board of commissioners was utterly full with children and parents spilling out into the hallway.

The sight was one commissioners tend to see once a year, as they recognize Cass County students who participate in an annual government contest.

During its regular meeting, the Cass County Board of Commissioners recognized the student winners of the Cass County Prosecutor’s Office’s annual “Going to Court” booklet art contest. The booklet, which is filled with the drawings of the contest winners on the subject of court, is given to youthful crime victims as part of their courtroom preparation. This year, Edwardsburg and Marcellus students submitted artwork to the contest, which was judged by a panel from the Cass County Council on Aging.

Winners include:

• Eleanor Elkins, front cover winner, of Edwardsburg Public Schools

• Ella Laskowski, back cover winner, of Edwardsburg Public Schools

• Carinna Anderson, of Edwardsburg Public Schools

• Owen Burkey, of Edwardsburg Public Schools

• Kathryn Coleman, of Edwardsburg Public Schools

• Brayden Fischer, of Edwardsburg Public Schools

• Shelby Laubach, of Edwardsburg Public Schools

• Tallulah LItty, of Edwardsburg Public Schools

• Rylie Rosekranz, of Edwardsburg Public Schools

• Kya Shier, of Edwardsburg Public Schools

• Aniya Stanton, of Edwardsburg Public Schools

• Logan Zigler, of Edwardsburg Public Schools

• Clovell Hunt, of Marcellus Community Schools

• Ava Lamoreaux, of Marcellus Community Schools

• Alex Clapp, of Marcellus Community Schools

• Drake Colley, of Marcellus Community Schools

• Miranda Huyck, of Marcellus Community Schools

“This is one of the favorite times of year we have in county government,” said Cass County Prosecutor Victor Fitz as he congratulated the winners. “We want to have the commissioners’ help in recognizing what you did here. … You are doing something very, very important by being a part of this.”

The “Going to Court” booklets contain basic information a young crime victim would need to know, explained in simple language, such as what an arraignment is, what a jury is and what documents like a subpoena are. The booklet also contains images of rooms in the courthouse a victim might enter and the images of people the victim may interact with, such as lawyers and judges.

The goal of the “Going to Court” booklets is to help young witnesses and victims navigate the courtroom and put them at ease, according to Fitz.

“When we have young kids who have to go into court and testify in front of a judge or a jury, it can be really scary for them,” Fitz said. “This book is used for every child who comes into the courtroom to testify. They get a chance to look at this book, look at the pictures and see from these illustrations what happens in a courtroom. It really helps them, so they are comfortable and not as scared.”

Also Thursday, the board of commissioners passed resolutions in honor of National Police Officer Week and Community Correctional Officers Week. National Police Officer Week took place from May 12-18, while National Community Correctional Officers Week took place May 5-11.

During the meeting, commissioners presented certificates of recognition to Todd McMichael, Cass County Sheriff Richard Behnke and Undersheriff Clint Roach.

“Members of law enforcement deserve the appreciation and respect of the people of Cass County,” said Commissioner Roseann Marchetti as she read the resolution. “Our communities rely on these courageous individuals when it is difficult to stand on our own, and we are indebted to the unwavering public service of our local and state police. We are indeed fortunate and grateful for the contributions of law enforcement officers to the people of this state.”