King County Superior Court Judge Carol Schapira was honored Sept. 15 for the six years she’s presided over the Bellevue Youth Court — a term that will end when she lays down her gavel after 25 years of service next spring.

Bellevue Youth Court pairs high schoolers with courthouse professionals, who train them to pass on sentences to juveniles for misdemeanor and gross misdemeanor offenses. Those facing sentencing have admitted guilt, and are allowed to be sentenced by their peers, rather than go through typical juvenile court diversion.

“Whether you’re the advocate for the state or an advocate for the youth, you learn a lot about real life,” Schapira said.

The groundwork for the Bellevue Youth Link program — under partnership with the city and King County — took about a year to lay before Schapira started in 2008. At the time, she was a juvenile court judge living on Mercer Island.

“Of course I was very interested, and I knew a woman who was a national and world leader in launching this,” she said.

Youth Link honored Schapira at the Sept. 15 Bellevue City Council meeting, thanking her for her service.

“We’ll miss her greatly,” said Helena Stephens, family, youth/teen manager for Youth Link. “She’s also guided us, made sure that we’ve stayed within the legal parameters of the law. She also did a lot of planning for us and really opened a lot of doors.”

Schapira’s presence during Youth Court proceedings was never necessary — the presiding judges being Bellevue teens, the same as the bailiffs, jurors and attorneys — but she has gone beyond what has been required, Stephens said.

“You just see them blossom as they move forward,” Schapira said. “It’s just an excellent program. … I do like being there because I want them to know what they’re doing is a real thing. They are really affecting that person’s life.”

A replacement hasn’t yet been found for Schapira on the Youth Court, said Stephens, but the judge will lend a hand in the selection. Schapira said she plans to remain active after retirement, which could see her back in a courtroom in some capacity in the future.

“I really do like my work, so I’m sure I’ll just need to recoup and lick my paw when I make the change,” she said.