Mock trial

These girls take the law seriously

Teresa Prince

 

"Order!  Order in the courtroom!" 

 

Ah, the drama of the courtroom; students involved in Mock Trial know what it's like.  They may never encounter Jack Nicholson screaming, "You want the truth?  You can't handle the truth!" Nonetheless, Mock Trial teams prepare for stiff competition in the court of law.    

 

Mock Trial is a competitive activity, moderated by Mrs. Kim Remmick, social studies teacher.  She organizes the interested girls into teams and gives them materials needed to prepare for trial. 

 

This year Marian has four teams; two teams are very experienced and composed entirely of seniors.  The other two are composed of underclassmen.  Each teams has about six girls and one attorney coach.  They meet often in the weeks before the trial preparing both offensive and defensive cases.  Two hours together and countless hours individually are necessary to succeed. 

 

Each year the case is different. This year's case deals with the death of a young man. "It's what we would call a torte.  It's about a fire that occurred at a club, and a kid who was at the club had died in the fire.  The major issue is that the plaintiff alleges the defender, the club owner, was negligent in maintaining the club allowing fireworks to be present, failure to maintain a safe club.  The defense is saying that the plaintiff, the kid that died, was negligent because he went from a place of safety to a place of danger; he was outside the club and went back into the club and ended up getting trampled," said attorney coach Mr. Michael Smart. 

 

Mock Trial is a lot like real trial; obviously, the case isn't nearly as complex as a real trial but for high school students, it's intense. "You have to meet at least two hours a week, and you to be a witness and prepare questions, openings, closings, know courtroom etiquette, and objectives," said senior Katrina Smart.  Smart has participated in mock trial since her sophomore year, and her dad has volunteered his time as an attorney coach all three years. 

 

The girls on Mock Trial really enjoy the experience. "It's a lot of fun, and you learn a lot about the law system; and you get an insight into what it's like to be a lawyer," said senior Maria Scarpello. 

 

This is an opportunity to get the feel for a career in law. Senior Melissa Mullin said, "When I was younger I always wanted to be a lawyer, and so when I got the opportunity to pretend to be one, I thought it was a good idea."

 

Mock trial is also a very valuable experience. Remmick said, "[They learn] first and foremost self confidence, speaking skills, organization, become very self possessed.  It's a really strong sense of self-confidence when you get someone arguing against you who is equally well informed, intelligent, and yet, you hopefully come out on top."

 

So far this year, Marian's team have performed well.  The first trial took place on Oct. 9.  Other trial dates are Oct. 14, 20, and 27.  Nov. 3 and 10 are the final rounds.  This is the first year Marian has a chance of three teams competing at State. "They [the trials] went very well; our team came out victorious in both of them, and three out of four Marian teams are still in it, which is amazing. I think that's the best we've ever done,"

 Said Mullin.

 

The Oct. 20 trial resulted in victory.  Three of Marian's team make up the sixremaining teams.  The two senior teams compete against each other Monday, Oct. 27.  

 

Time consuming, competitive, and rewarding, Mock Trial is a great opportunity for anyone who wants to fight for truth, justice, and "the Marian way."