Inside the courtroom, students shuffled through papers, writing down final notes before the trial began. Students took their places at the counsel tables on their respective sides, as the judge called the courtroom to order, starting another competitive round of mock trial. After weeks of preparation, the competitors were ready to present their case and put their skills to the test.
South Windsor Mock Trial’s White Team set a new high score and made South Windsor High School history with their performance on March 6th. They competed in the semi-finals, against the top 10 schools, earning a spot in the Final Four out of the original 63 teams that began the competition back in December.
In Mock Trial, students simulate courtroom trials. Students take on the roles of attorneys, witnesses and sometimes bailiffs or timekeepers. Throughout the trial, attorneys deliver opening statements, question witnesses, present evidence, and give closing arguments, while witnesses portray characters involved in the case. The club helps students develop skills, such as team work, public speaking, critical thinking, and quick reasoning.
In Connecticut, Mock Trial competitions are organized by the Connecticut Bar Association as part of the statewide high school Mock Trial Program. During each round, teams compete and are usually scored by two judges. They are given scores on a range from 1-10, based on their performance.
Attorneys are scored on their clarity and strength of their arguments, how effectively they question witnesses, and their clarity. Witnesses are usually judged on how well they stay in character and how well they respond on the spot.
SWHS’s White team met everyday after school leading up to the competition, where they rehearsed their directs, crosses, opening and closing statements. They helped each other improve their work, giving suggestions and making adjustments.
White Team had their struggles, as many of their competitors were seniors, who’ve had 4+ years of experience, while the White Team is primarily freshman and juniors, giving them a slight disadvantage…for now. However, despite their youth, the team made school history.
“They not only played their parts well, but they avoided traps set by them by opposing counsel and fought back when pressed on their stories,” Mr. Hawie, Mock Trial Advisor told The Prowl. “Imagine being publicly interrogated by a skilled attorney in front of all your friends – that is the life of a witness – yet we stood up very well.”
While competing against Weston High School, the team faced a challenging line of questioning regarding why their first responder witness, sophomore Diya Arvind, did not question a spouse of the deceased in the case.
Freshman Yilin Lin impressed judges and attorneys, earning her the title of Most Outstanding Attorney.
“I’m really happy with the result, but i’m also proud of how far me and my team have come,” Lin said. “We’ve put hours into mock trial and prioritized it before everything so our success is honestly a reflection of the effort we put in. Awards are certainly nice but it’s the team we’ve built in the process that makes the hard work worth it
It was also a challenge for the team to take notes during their morning trial, and retain everything that the other team had said. These notes could be used for their afternoon trial.
“It was nice to see the other teams’ participation and the amount of effort they put in. It was very evident they prepared a lot,” Vaishnavi Abirami Bhaskar, member of the Mock Trial White team said.
As the competition came to an end, the students left with experience, confidence and a deeper understanding of the legal process, showcasing the hard work and dedication of the students involved. Mock trial participants look forward to working on next year’s case, and hopefully participating in multiple competitions.
