During the day at Community High School, the Jazz Band practices their instruments and students take pictures and get interviews for The Communicator. By 6 p.m., once the noise settles, room 205 belongs to CHS’s nine-time state champions.
For the CHS mock trial team, working together is just as important as winning. To prepare for competitions, students meet every Monday and Wednesday from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m, refining their cases long after the school day ends. Memorization, emotion and quick thinking are some of the skills they need to succeed, and to prevail, every single person has to do their job.
Mock trial is the practice of imitation trials in a simulated court. Everybody in Michigan is given the same case and must prepare their case in chief and show why their side is right. In mock trial, you have to put on a play while the other team is trying to sabotage you.
To prepare for competition, the team has a number of coaches who specialize in performance as well as law practice. These coaches are volunteers and don’t get paid, but they give their time out of love for the program. Most of them have prior experience within the field of law.
Although the mock trial team has grown to 41 members this year, it has not always been this large. A decade ago, the team looked unrecognizable compared to today, according to the current teacher coach Chloe Root who has been coaching CHS Mock Trial for 14 years.
Although CHS had an A and B team 14 years ago, there were only around 10 students per team. There were not as many alternates, non-competing members, as there are today.
The team’s sense of connection has also grown alongside the program. While there is a clear understanding that work must be done, there’s no rule against having fun along the way. Conversations fill the room during practice.
“People tend to hang out as much as they actually get work done,” Root said.
Root has been the coach of CHS Mock Trial for 14 years, and in her time, she has seen the program transform. One significant change has been the development of the witnesses. Community was once known for having strong legal arguments, but the performance element never really stood out. However, thanks to Billie Ochberg, the main performance coach, the team’s theatrical side has grown much stronger.
“I think that our team has developed a lot, thanks to Billie, among other people, into being more of a dramatic force to be reckoned with,” Root said.
Among the team’s current leaders is Noah Lauring, a CHS junior. After joining as a freshman, he has worked his way up through the ranks to become a team captain. He believes that the team’s close bond is one of their greatest strengths—they know how to have fun, but also know when it’s time to focus and perform.
“We did this thing called Top Gun, which is a mock trial sleepover where you spend the whole night writing your material and then do a run-through in the morning,” Lauring said. “That was great for team bonding.”
Another leader on the team is senior Evelyn Stansfield. She’s been involved with the mock trial team for four years now, originally as a non-competing member of the team, helping Root with copying papers, setting up hotel reservations and other miscellaneous tasks. In her junior year, she auditioned for a competing role and now serves as one of the team’s overall captains. This year, Stansfield and the rest of the A team qualified for the state finals, marking a big win for the team.
“I think that the team element of mock trial is the best part about coming back from winning regionals,” Stansfield said. “When it was announced, everyone jumped up and hugged each other and was so happy. I can’t help but just want to pat everyone on the back for everything that they did.”
Since Chloe began running the mock trial team, it has evolved and improved faster than ever. Though combining hard work with team bonding and games, they’ve grown to be one of the best teams in the State. For Lauring, Stansfield and others, Mock Trial has been more than a club, it has been a great way to connect and create bonds while learning about our legal system.
