By Jamie Wong, Staff Writer
On February 7, the Mills Mock Trial team completed the third and final round of their latest competition. Throughout the competition, which took place at the South City Courthouse, Mills faced schools including Jefferson, Serra, Oceana, and Terra Nova.
In a mock trial competition, each school has a prosecution and defense team who face off with other schools’ defense and prosecution, respectively. All participants argue about the same fictional case. This time, the case concerned Billie Scher, the victim, and Jordan Franks, the defendant, and the incident took place aboard a ship named Heart of the Ocean.
Billie Scher played the lead in Macbeth at Sea, co-starring with Franks. Yet on the last night of the play Scher’s alleged Shakespearean ring was stolen and an altercation occurred between Scher and Franks, resulting in Scher breaking her arm in two places. The case hinges on whether Franks shoved Scher and stole the ring. Franks is charged with battery and grand larceny, while lawyers use witnesses to help argue case, all played by students.
In round 1, Mills’ prosecution team competed against Jefferson, and the defense team competed against Serra. Prosecution attorney Katelyn Lam (12) revealed “although everyone was really nervous and didn’t know anything about the process they handled themselves well.” The defense team went on to win the verdict that Billie Scher was not guilty of robbery and assault.
Going into the second round, the team worked harder than ever and felt much more confident. Mills’ prosecution faced Oceana, and its defense faced Serra in round 2. The absence of two members of the team, Daniel and Justin Gao, led to the shuffling of roles for other members. Ultimately, the group was able to pull through and still delivered a full team by having other members fill in. Magdalene Ko (12), who played a witness in round 2, commended that “the attorneys all improved a lot after the first round, since they could more skillfully adapt to different situations and formulate objections.”
Round 3 was both stressful and relieving for all members. They were finally at their last competition, after the blood sweat and tears they poured into their arguments. Everyone finished feeling proud and happy that they were able to compete well even in Ms. Campbell’s absence. Defense attorney Max Zaninovich (11) explained “It was just really comforting to know we’d participated in three competitions to the best of our ability. I know everyone worked really hard for this.”
Throughout the year, all the members of Mock Trial have put in hours planning, studying, and rehearsing for competitions. Katelyn Chang (12) and Katelyn Lam (12), the head attorneys, have been important leaders for the team, especially in Ms. Campbell’s absence. Christie Tjandra (12), prosecution’s pretrial attorney, stated “Katelyn Chang and Lam have been really well prepared for everything that comes their way and guiding us as we learn”
The team is also thankful to the adults who have stepped in for Ms. Campbell. Ms. Turek, the team’s supervisor, has been very supportive and helped the team’s delivery become more fluid by providing feedback about key components such as their body language and movements. Cathryn Dalton, Ms. Campbell’s daughter, is another important supporter of the team. Like Ms. Turek, Dalton attended every competition despite her busy schedules, taking notes and later giving feedback to the team. Dalton also provided help to the students over email when they had questions.
Overall, the Mills’ Mock Trial team has had a great year considering the challenges it has faced. Ko says, “I’m very proud of everyone for working so hard despite Ms. Campbell’s absence and I can see all the time they’ve spent writing their lines and organizing themselves, learning how to objectives and evidence walks, and just memorizing every little thing.”
