9.Tracey Gordon — Direct
193 linesTRACEY GORDON, duly sworn
COURT CLERK: State your name and spell your first and last name for the record, keep your voice up and speak into the mic so everybody can hear you.
TRACEY GORDON: Tracey Gordon, T-R-A-C-E-Y, G-O-R-D-O-N.
DIRECT EXAMINATION BY MS. CONRAD:
MS. CONRAD: Good afternoon, Ms. Gordon. Where do you work?
TRACEY GORDON: I work at Cambridge Street Upper School in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
MS. CONRAD: Is that a public or private school?
TRACEY GORDON: Public.
MS. CONRAD: What do you do there?
TRACEY GORDON: I teach seventh grade social studies.
MS. CONRAD: How long have you been a Cambridge public schoolteacher?
TRACEY GORDON: I think 16 years.
MS. CONRAD: And did you teach at a different school before?
TRACEY GORDON: I taught at the Cambridgeport School previous.
MS. CONRAD: And what years was that?
TRACEY GORDON: I don't remember exactly. Maybe around 2000, starting in 2000, 2001.
MS. CONRAD: And is teaching your first career?
TRACEY GORDON: No, it is not.
MS. CONRAD: What was your first career after college?
TRACEY GORDON: I owned a restaurant.
MS. CONRAD: And where was that restaurant?
TRACEY GORDON: On Cape Cod.
MS. CONRAD: What town?
TRACEY GORDON: Yarmouth Port.
MS. CONRAD: What was the name of the restaurant?
TRACEY GORDON: Chanterelle.
MS. CONRAD: And did you teach at Cambridgeport public school in the school years 2003 to 2004 and 2004 to 2005?
TRACEY GORDON: Yes.
MS. CONRAD: And what grades did you teach in that year?
TRACEY GORDON: Fifth and sixth.
MS. CONRAD: I'm sorry?
TRACEY GORDON: Fifth and sixth grade. It was a combined-grade classroom.
MS. CONRAD: And did you know Jahar Tsarnaev?
TRACEY GORDON: Yes.
MS. CONRAD: And do you recall what school year you first had him as a student in your class?
TRACEY GORDON: I think 2004-2005.
MS. CONRAD: I'm just going to show you a document for a moment.
MS. CONRAD: Just for the witness, please.
MS. CONRAD: Does that refresh your recollection what school year it was?
TRACEY GORDON: Yes, it does.
MS. CONRAD: And what school year was it?
TRACEY GORDON: 2004 --
MS. CONRAD: This is January 2004, so --
TRACEY GORDON: So it's January, so it would be 2003-2004, then.
MS. CONRAD: And what grade was Jahar in?
TRACEY GORDON: Fifth grade, I believe.
MS. CONRAD: And do you know where he went to fourth grade?
TRACEY GORDON: At the Cambridgeport School.
MS. CONRAD: Did he complete that grade?
TRACEY GORDON: No, he came up to fifth grade.
MS. CONRAD: Do you remember at what point in the school year?
TRACEY GORDON: Early in the school year.
MS. CONRAD: So he basically skipped fourth grade?
TRACEY GORDON: Basically, yes.
MS. CONRAD: And I'm going to show you a photograph.
MS. CONRAD: And, your Honor, this is just really as a chalk. I'm not offering it. This is Exhibit 3416A.
THE COURT: Is this on the document camera?
MS. CONRAD: It is. I didn't mean for it to be. Let's go this way. It's going to come up better. I forgot I had Ms. Sarr here to help me.
It's not coming up.
THE COURT: Yup, you should have it. Yes, now I have it.
MS. CONRAD: I have it.
And can everyone see that right now?
THE COURT: Does the government have any objection?
MR. CHAKRAVARTY: No, your Honor.
THE COURT: It's not being offered, but it'll be shown.
MR. CHAKRAVARTY: That's fine.
MS. CONRAD: We're going to show just a portion of it.
BY MS. CONRAD:
MS. CONRAD: And do you recognize what this picture is?
TRACEY GORDON: Yes, I do.
MS. CONRAD: And what is this picture?
TRACEY GORDON: It's a class picture of my fifth- and sixth-grade class.
MS. CONRAD: And that would be in the 2003-2004 school year?
TRACEY GORDON: I can't be sure.
MS. CONRAD: Do you see yourself in that picture?
TRACEY GORDON: Yes, I do.
MS. CONRAD: Would you put your finger on where you are in that classroom? You can just touch the screen. All the way on the right?
TRACEY GORDON: Yes.
MS. CONRAD: And do you see Jahar in that picture?
TRACEY GORDON: Yes, I do.
MS. CONRAD: And can you put your finger on where Jahar is in that picture?
TRACEY GORDON: (Witness complies.)
MS. CONRAD: And at this point I would offer 3416, which is a portion of that picture.
MR. CHAKRAVARTY: No objection.
THE COURT: Okay.
BY MS. CONRAD:
MS. CONRAD: Before you do that, though, do you have -- sorry. Sorry. Go back a second. Do you still have this picture in your classroom?
TRACEY GORDON: Yes, I do.
MS. CONRAD: And do you have pictures of other classes that you've taught in your classroom?
TRACEY GORDON: Yes, I do.
MS. CONRAD: Okay. Now I would like to show you 3416.
MS. CONRAD: And I'd offer that.
THE COURT: Admitted.
(Defense Exhibit No. 3416 received into evidence.)
MS. CONRAD: Is there any way to make it a little bigger?
BY MS. CONRAD:
MS. CONRAD: Is that what Jahar looked like when he was in your class?
TRACEY GORDON: Yes.
MS. CONRAD: And that's just a portion of the picture we saw a moment ago, right?
TRACEY GORDON: Yes.
MS. CONRAD: How did Jahar adjust to being skipped a grade?
TRACEY GORDON: Very well.
MS. CONRAD: Tell us about that.
TRACEY GORDON: He acclimated very well into the classroom. He kept up very well academically. And socially, it was really a seamless transition.
MS. CONRAD: What do you remember about Jahar?
TRACEY GORDON: Super kind, really smart, very quick to learn, very hard worker. Just a really lovely person.
MS. CONRAD: Do you remember all your students?
TRACEY GORDON: I'm sorry?
MS. CONRAD: Do you remember all the students that you've taught in your 16 years teaching in Cambridge?
TRACEY GORDON: I would have to say no, truthfully.
MS. CONRAD: But you remember Jahar?
TRACEY GORDON: Yes, very well.
MS. CONRAD: And why is that?
TRACEY GORDON: Because he was an outstanding student, in terms of being just a very kind and hardworking and dedicated person. So beyond his academics, he was a person that you enjoyed being around.
MS. CONRAD: Now, was that true in both fifth and sixth grades? You had him both years?
TRACEY GORDON: Yes.
MS. CONRAD: How did he get along with other students in the classroom and outside the classroom?
TRACEY GORDON: Very well. He made friends easily.
MS. CONRAD: And how was he in terms of being respectful to others?
TRACEY GORDON: Very respectful, in my memory, to all kids and adults.
MS. CONRAD: What did you know about his family?
TRACEY GORDON: Very little. I believe I remember meeting his dad once for a conference, a parent conference, that all students took part in.
MS. CONRAD: Did you know much about his relationship with his parents or his siblings?
MS. CONRAD: Did you know that he came from another country?
TRACEY GORDON: Yes.
MS. CONRAD: And how did he seem to manage in English?
TRACEY GORDON: Very, very well.
MS. CONRAD: I'm going to show you a few pictures -- a few more pictures, if I might, and ask you about them. First is 3407. Could you tell us --
MS. CONRAD: First of all, I'd offer this --
THE COURT: Just as a matter of expediency, is there going to be --
MR. CHAKRAVARTY: No objection for 3407 through 3409.
MS. CONRAD: Actually, it's 3407, 3408 and 3410, I think. I'm not sure why we didn't do 9, but...
MR. CHAKRAVARTY: No objection.
THE COURT: Okay.
MS. CONRAD: Thank you.
So are those are admitted, your Honor?
THE COURT: Yes.
(Defense Exhibit Nos. 3407, 3408, and 3409 received into evidence.)
BY MS. CONRAD:
MS. CONRAD: So showing you 3407, do you recognize who's in that picture?
TRACEY GORDON: Yes.
MS. CONRAD: And do you know who took this picture?
TRACEY GORDON: It was probably me.
MS. CONRAD: And can you tell us -- well, who is that in the picture?
TRACEY GORDON: Jahar.
MS. CONRAD: And can you tell us where this was taken?
TRACEY GORDON: At Farm School in Athol, Massachusetts.
MS. CONRAD: What is Farm School?
TRACEY GORDON: Farm School is a place where we would go every year. We would take fifth- and sixth-grade students to spend a few nights on a working farm so they would have an appreciation of where their food comes from.
MS. CONRAD: And showing you 3408, I think -- I hope -- I'm going to ask you about that one. And where was that photograph taken?
TRACEY GORDON: At the same location, Farm School.
MS. CONRAD: And, again, it shows Jahar?
TRACEY GORDON: Yes, it shows Jahar at the sink, probably doing cleanup chores.
MS. CONRAD: And was he responsible about doing those when he was asked to do something?
TRACEY GORDON: Yes.
MS. CONRAD: And do you know what grade that was, by the way?
TRACEY GORDON: It could be fifth or sixth.
MS. CONRAD: And showing you 3410 -- well, strike that.
MS. CONRAD: May I just have a moment?
(Pause.)
MS. CONRAD: How was Jahar about participating in new activities such as going to the Farm School?
TRACEY GORDON: It's one of the things that I think made Jahar such a fine person, is that he really was happy to try new things, whatever it was. So I think he was -- I remember him being very enthusiastic about Farm School.
MS. CONRAD: And showing you Exhibit 3410, can you tell us about this photograph?
TRACEY GORDON: This is in my classroom, and we would have visiting professional dancers come and share their expertise with the kids. And this is Jahar, again, with a few of my other students participate in whatever the dancer was sharing with us.
MS. CONRAD: And can you just point -- touch the screen and show us where Jahar is in this picture?
TRACEY GORDON: (Witness complies.)
MS. CONRAD: Right in the middle?
TRACEY GORDON: Yes.
MS. CONRAD: And what do you remember about Jahar's participation in that activity compared to other kids?
TRACEY GORDON: Again, very easygoing with participation. There wasn't hesitation. Sometimes kids at this age can be a little shy to participate, be self-conscious, but, again, my memory was that Jahar really was eager to try whatever school had to offer.
MS. CONRAD: What -- at the end of -- or at some point during his sixth-grade year, did you recommend him for an activity the following year?
TRACEY GORDON: I don't -- I'm not sure.
MS. CONRAD: You don't remember? Okay. If I may just have a moment.
TRACEY GORDON: Sure.
MS. CONRAD: Just for the witness at this point, Exhibit 3552 at the bottom of page 2, please.
Page 2? Or maybe I have it numbered differently. Yeah. At the bottom, I'm just going to zoom in here a little bit.
TRACEY GORDON: Yes, I see I wrote he'd be a great candidate next year for peer conflict resolution because he respects a variety of perspectives and understands that conflicts are normal and not necessarily easily resolved.
BY MS. CONRAD:
MS. CONRAD: Could you tell us about that? What's peer conflict resolution?
TRACEY GORDON: I believe it was a program that the school was initiating for students to help other students resolve minor conflicts, what I would consider minor conflicts.
MS. CONRAD: Among themselves?
TRACEY GORDON: Yes.
MS. CONRAD: And why did you think that would be a good activity for Jahar to participate in?
TRACEY GORDON: Because, as I remember it, Jahar didn't have any particular alliances with any cliques, and he really was outgoing in a way that he would befriend anybody and help anybody in need, and I thought that those would be excellent skills for that program.
MS. CONRAD: May I just have one moment, please?
MS. CONRAD: Do you know if he did participate in that the following year?
TRACEY GORDON: I don't think the program got off the ground, and I think that Jahar went to a different school in seventh grade.
MS. CONRAD: Okay. Going back on 3552 for one moment -- I think I just need a minute to find this. Sorry. I thought I had it in my computer, but I obviously don't. What was your reaction when you heard that Jahar was involved in the Boston Marathon bombing?
MR. CHAKRAVARTY: Objection, your Honor.
THE COURT: Sustained.
MS. CONRAD: I have nothing further.
MR. CHAKRAVARTY: Nothing.
THE COURT: Nothing?
You may step down. Thank you.
TRACEY GORDON: Thank you.
(The witness is excused.)
MS. CONRAD: The defense calls Becki Norris.