People work together, discussing and analyzing text as they surround a single computer. Meanwhile, others practice and refine their examinations out loud. The entire room is united in the single goal of presenting one case perfectly.
WA Mock Trial’s spring season is starting up, and the team is getting ready to compete again after losing a large portion of their members. Since seniors left the school to work on capstone projects and are no longer as active in clubs, the team has not only lost many members, but the the entirety of their leadership team as well.
Their leadership team has now been replaced with sophomores and juniors, who are ready to help the team grow and flourish in the upcoming seasons, despite the loss.
“It’s difficult to come back when we lost […] seven or so people on our team, and a lot of our seniors were some of our best members,” sophomore and club secretary Celia Colangeli said. “But a huge part of Mock Trial is adaptability. It’s all about being prepared to make those changes on the spot, so I think we’re going to do well.”
The current season of mock trial, called the Apple Blossom season, is a laid back competition featuring a small selection of schools, and serves as practice for the main competition season, which is a set of trials that occur around the state from March to April. These trials eventually decide who the top 32 teams are, who the top 16 are, then the top 8, until the finals are held at Faneuil Hall.
“This tournament will be good for feeling out all of our new members and to try and get some people that [could be] starters some extra experience,” junior and team co-captain Hailey Phan said.
The tournament also allows WA to be put on the map, as the school reaches out to different schools around the area and invites them to participate. This includes schools like Gann Academy and Malden Catholic.
This season will feature a civil case regarding insurance fraud, and how much a man’s death deserves to be compensated, if at all. This is to practice for the main season next year, which will also be a civil case.
The main event next fall is the Garden City tournament, when the group will compete against several schools around the state.
“I’m really looking forward to the main season case […] because every year we’ve gotten [so] close to getting to the finals,” junior and club co-captain Heer Mehta said. “So I really hope this year will be the year that we get to the finals.”
In general, the team is very excited for the upcoming seasons and to see their team flourish and grow.
“Mock trial has been such a big part of my life these last two years […] It’s just such a great community to be a part of, and I’m so happy to be part of the leadership for it,” sophomore and co-captain Joanna Finney said.
