Far before their regular wake-up time, mock trial students and coaches received a wake-up call from the front desk of the hotel they were staying at. On a normal weekend, students would sneak in a few more minutes of rest; however, this was not an ordinary day. The students of the CHS Mock Trial team were heading to court. After months of preparing, it all came down to this day for them; their day was stacked with three trials. Two in the morning and one in the afternoon.
Composed of three separate trials and taking place at the Oakland County Circuit Court, the Michigan Center for Civic Education (MCCE) Mock Trial regional tournament consisted of 12 schools from around the state. From 8:45 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. on February 21, students fought and argued through the exact same court case, giving their own takes on the lawyers and the witnesses involved in the case.
The case brought to court this year was a civil case, meaning a private dispute among citizens. The case highlighted an infuriated Homeowner’s Association president suing an engineering and construction company due to the fact that the building she was living in was at risk for collapse under specific winds.
Nicole Zheng, a freshman, branches out from her home school at Huron to participate in the CHS mock trial team. Zheng, a lawyer on the B team, was in anticipation for her first ever trial and was worried it wouldn’t go the way her team had practiced.
“At first [the trial] was really scary since it’s my first tournament and I didn’t know what to expect,” Zheng said. “But as the trial went on, I adjusted and didn’t really feel nervous during the end. There’s a lot of teamwork involved, and everyone has to do their part so we score well.”
Zheng, alongside the other lawyers, had the difficult job of cross-examining and direct-examining the witnesses of the case. While it sounds complicated, the process is simply asking questions of the target witness, aimed at bits and pieces of information that benefit Zheng’s case; mostly the information comes from their affidavit, otherwise known as a witness statement.
With these jobs come the additional roles of courtroom journalists and artists. Their part of the case is to document the trial through writing and drawing. Emme Hakala, a freshman on the team, served as a courtroom artist. The role is new to Michigan Mock Trial, and the role has only existed for a few years. Hakala felt their experience was exciting but was filled with an equivalent feeling of nervousness.
“Going into [the trial], I was really nervous because I had to stand up and say my name and stuff,” Hakala said. “It sounds silly, but I didn’t know what they would ask me, and I wanted to make sure I was prepared and had everything I needed.”
As the season comes to a close for the CHS Mock Trial B-team, defense witness Nellie Schultz is able to reflect on what she learned this season. In between stretching out of her comfort zone and showing up twice a week for the past few months, Schultz was more than willing to jump straight in as a freshman.
“I thought it was a really great experience because it taught me a lot of things,” Schultz said. “l learned how to talk in front of a lot of people. I also learned how to perform well in a really competitive [environment]. It was a nerve-wracking experience.”
Throughout the trial, students learned key skills like public speaking from firsthand court immersion and presenting their cases. While doing so, they fought to place among the competition and qualify for the state competition. While facing several challenges, including a bye in the first round for the CHS A-team and then an hour delay due to technical difficulties between trial two and three, the members of the CHS mock trial team moved forward to deliver their best performances on the stand.
As the competition came to a close, participating members eagerly waited for the names of the three teams advancing to state finals. Members of the A and B teams held hands and closed their eyes, hoping to hear their team names called to the front. The hard work paid off, and members of the A team had their dreams come true, while the B team fell short. At the end of the day both teams took a picture together to celebrate making it through regionals.
As the season comes to a close for the members of B-team, they look forward to supporting A- team and then further another mock trial competition, called Spring Empire, to improve upon their skills for the main season next year. The A-team is continuing to practice with objections, jeopardy and runthroughs so they can go into states, the most prepared they can be for states.
