Have you ever committed a serious crime? Well don’t admit it now, but after their success at the annual competition in February, it’s clear that if you need to go to trial, the eighteen students on Mock Trial are the team to take with you to court.
Mock Trial is a year-long commitment, meeting Tuesdays after and Fridays before school since September. That is when they started preparing for their trial with the help of two attorneys, a judge and Robin Dowdy, club advisor and AP social studies teacher.
While many other schools in the area have had Mock Trial teams for a while, this is only Ballard’s second year. Despite the club being relatively new, freshman club member Saioa Ouyoumjian says that she hopes to participate in the club for all four years of high school.
“There’s a lot in Mock Trial that can help you grow as a person,” Ouyoumjian said.
Club members can choose to be either an attorney, witness or bailiff, depending on the kind of role they want. An attorney must make opening and closing statements, direct and cross examination of the witnesses and pretrial motion (a debate between the two sides of attorneys to determine which facts are relevant to share with the jury). Witnesses have to memorize case information to be questioned by the attorneys. Bailiffs keep time.
The Ballard team competed on February 22, 25 and 27 and did well in the competition. They won three of the four pretrial motions and successfully objected multiple times; demonstrating their knowledge in legal procedures and their case. These efforts paid off; four students were nominated in both the best attorney and best witness categories of competition.
“The students have to be able to think on their feet and be flexible, and they absolutely excelled at that this year,” Dowdy said.
She hopes, looking ahead, to have a varsity and JV squad to allow newer members to get the feel of competing and to have a group the underclassman can look to as examples.
Mock Trial is for all kinds of students, not just future attorneys. It looks great on a college transcript because of its real world learning experience.
“Mock Trial really helps with public speaking,” Ouyoumjian said. “It’s super fun, and the community is so welcoming and supportive.”
Mock Trial is great preparation for a lot of careers, “It’s a mix of performance, analysis, and competition,” Dowdy said. “If you’re interested in acting, debate or law, this is a fantastic opportunity.”
Dowdy said that she saw the bond that team members have formed as a little family, in a way.
Mock Trial will continue to meet on Friday mornings before school allowing for new members even after the competitive season is over. While this club is a large commitment, almost that of another class, it is very rewarding.
As Dowdy said, “It’s a lot of work, but it’s fun work.”
(Robin Dowdy)
