Students selected as jury members listen during the mock trial at the Iberia Parish Courthouse on Monday for the New Iberia Teen Court program.

While most people celebrating their birthday would choose to celebrate their birthday at a family dinner, Raymond “Shoe-Do” Lewis spent his 59th birthday in an Iberia Parish courtroom Monday afternoon.

Lewis, an Iberia Parish School Board member and former New Iberia city councilman, said he rarely celebrated holidays since the death of his son Garon Lewis in late 2019. But sitting on the second floor of the Iberia Parish Courthouse, Lewis got to experience the culmination of a project to honor the memory of Garon.

A mock trial was put on display in Courtroom A of the Iberia Parish Courthouse to show the public the return of New Iberia Teen Court, which was resurrected largely thanks to the Garon Lewis Foundation.

The program brings the courtroom experience to dozens of Iberia Parish teenagers, putting them in the roles of judge, jury, defendant and prosecutor. The program is an alternative route for teens committing misdemeanors and also creates an immersive environment where young people can witness all aspects of the court system.

Teen Court Director Tyra McWhorter said the kids who take part in the program have witnessed notable improvements during their time in the program.

“The kids are learning so much, they’re learning more about the courtroom and really getting into the groove of how it works,” McWhorter said.

Although the program was in effect in Iberia Parish for several years, McWhorter said it lost its funding source about six years ago.

The Garon Paul Atkinson Lewis Foundation was founded after the death of Garon in August of 2019 after he was found shot in a car in New Iberia. Garon was 17.

Since the tragic death, Garon’s father has been dedicated to addressing community violence along with his usual duties as a school board member.

“We’ve been getting calls all around the country from people who want to know about this,” Lewis said. “We’re catching these children from the 7th through the 12th grade when they can really go one way or the other.”

Looking at the success of the program, Lewis was close to tears and said his son would be proud of what the foundation has accomplished.

“We’re riding high on the success, it was a good birthday,” he said.