Fourth Form - News

Galileo was exonerated Wednesday during a mock trial held by the Fourth Form.

The SKS students found Galileo not guilty of heresy or “unintentionally violating 1616 church law forbidding the holding or defending of the heliocentric theory of the universe,” said tenth-grade dean Nancy Lyon. Father Niccolo Lorini, on the other hand, was sentenced to 75 years to life in prison.

The students spent two weeks investigating the history of fifteenth century scientist Galileo Galilei and learning about the heliocentric vs. geocentric theories of the universe. The commonly held view in Galileo’s time was that everything in the universe revolved around the earth – the geocentric theory. Galileo presented the other view that everything revolved around the sun – the heliocentric theory.

“This is always a great opportunity for the class as we transition from our study of the Renaissance to the Scientific Revolution and the Age of Enlightenment,” said Ms. Lyon, who teaches the history course. “They really take advantage of this hands-on learning opportunity as they prepare for the event which channels their competitive nature into a wonderful classroom experience,” she said.

In real life Galileo was tried by the Roman Inquisition of 1633 and eventually forced to recant his heliocentric theory and spent the last years of his life under house arrest.

The Fourth Formers each had roles to play in the mock trial, which was held in the school’s Assembly Room. The room was transformed for the proceedings into a courtroom with three judges, Ben Gardner, Devin Garrison, and Zachary Sugar towering over the group on a dais. Galileo was portrayed by Tae Hoon Kim. The team of prosecution attorneys was composed of Andrew Bonetti, Yun Suk Park and Jack Zaccara. The defense team included Nino Hernandez, James O'Connor, and Seung Hwan Jin. Pope Urban VIII was played by Ryan Clark and the role of Cardinal Bellarmine, a witness for the prosecution, was played by Jangu Chothia.