First mock trial dominated regionals, then states, and are now going on to nationals. The team is making Community High School proud with their success in trial each round. The next big event is coming May 3-5. Mock Trial is going to Albuquerque, New Mexico to compete against the best in the nation.
Although they are happy about winning states, the mock trial team only took a one week break before preparing for nationals. Since they received their new case only a month before nationals, the team has been practicing 4-5 times a week from seven to nine, and even had to practice 4 days during spring break.
The team usually practices working on their case in CHS’s computer lab. A few lawyers come to work with the students at most practices. “I think that there has only been one night this semester where we haven’t had a lawyer coach here,” says Mock Trial coach Chloe Root. Most of the lawyers have been helping the students since last year, but a couple new ones were invited this year. “The lawyer coaches are great. They are all really good-humored and fun. [The lawyers] are not too critical, but they do provide really good feedback for the legal arguments and how to phrase things.”
Mock trial has been going on at CHS since the 1980’s when former CHS teacher Cheryl Grace introduced the program to Community. Even though there were a few years where Community didn’t participate in mock trial, Grace brought it back and kept it going until she decided to retire, when she offered it to Chloe Root. Root said, “She asked me if I would be interested in taking over the program after having me at a few practices. I sort of apprenticed under her and saw how the program worked and went with them to the state tournament and nationals tournament, so I got really excited about it. At first I was like, wow, it’s a big thing to step into, but then I got really excited about the program. It’s such a fun thing to be involved in.” This is Root’s first year coaching mock trial, and even though she is proud of their success, she does not take the credit, “I am really happy that we [have gotten to nationals] my first year but it wasn’t like I did it on my own or I made it happen.”
The mock trial team is ready to win nationals. Wish them luck!
