Although Mock Trial has no court-held authority, it has come to signify a lot to those who participate. Wesleyan’s Mock Trial team has worked hard this past season, earning a place in 2017’s District competition and winning Regionals. Mock Trial is a court trial that has no legal bearing. Students can participate on the team as a witness or a lawyer, both of which provide lasting life lessons even for high schoolers.
On of the most unique, practical and applicable activities at Wesleyan provides a competitive training ground for aspiring attorneys. Mock Trial has consistently drawn ample participation, and it remains a favorite among students. Senior Jack Connors said, “It is thrilling to compete in a real courtroom with actual judges.” Mock Trial competitions are held in real courtrooms where fictitious cases are tried by a real judge. Wesleyan’s team spends as much as three months preparing for competitions, working on every detail of the case.
This year, the team has attained notable success, winning the region competition on Jan. 30 The crew stands poised to dominate again this weekend at the district competition on Saturday, Feb. 27. Led by teachers Matt Crew and Joseph Cooper along with several Wesleyan parents, the team has an abundance of knowledge and experience at their disposal.
The case that was tried during the region competition this year was a second degree burglary charge. The charge was related to the theft of a 20 million dollar painting from an art museum. The prosecution accused the museum curator of assisting in the theft claiming that it had to have been an inside job. Meanwhile, the defense argued that there would be no motive for the curator.
Wesleyan competed against ten other teams in the region competition including GAC. Noteworthy accolades from the competition include two outstanding witness awards for freshman Patterson Beaman, an outstanding lawyer award for senior Mason Borucki and two outstanding lawyer awards for junior Sara Carmichael. The team’s strongest performance came from senior Sarah Borucki who swept the lawyer awards and won best lawyer in every round.
After a remarkable performance at region, the team is working hard to do even better at the district competition. Mason Borucki said, “We are working on minor tweaks that are more technical like tendering evidence and referring to specific laws correctly.” The team hopes to show continued improvement in these areas this weekend.
