Local High School Teams Among Top Mock Trial Competitors

The 33rd annual Maryland State Bar Association statewide high school mock trial competition wrapped up its county portion of the competition with a final trial March 2 at the Anne Arundel County Circuit Court House in Annapolis.

Across Maryland, more than 150 high schools form Mock Trial teams early in the school year. Ten Anne Arundel County high schools participated, including Severna Park High School and Severn School. The top two Anne Arundel teams will participate in mid-March circuit trials, and ultimately a regional competition. A state champion will be named in late April.

Susan Jackson, learning resource center director and mock trial team adviser at Severn, has been the school’s mock trail adviser for the last 15 years. She said the program’s objectives are to further understanding of the law, court procedures and the legal system; increase proficiency in soft skills such as listening, speaking, reading and reasoning; and heighten appreciation for academic studies as well as career consciousness of law-related professions.

Mock Trial teams are so popular that many schools hold auditions during the first marking period. Landing a coveted role on a Mock Trial team is only the beginning. The real competition heats up in January with nine county-level trials. High schools earn points during each trial through a two-tiered scoring system based on the merits of the case and team performance.

For the 2015-2016 competition, students represented either the plaintiffs or the defendants in a civil case regarding sports-related concussions. While the Mock Trial state champion won’t hail from Severn School or Severna Park this year, Jackson is very proud of what her team accomplished.

“I am especially proud of this year’s team. They gave up every Saturday morning to come to school, where they studied the nuances of the case, prepared their presentation and practiced their performance,” Jackson said. “Not only do the team members learn valuable lessons about the law, but they also learn valuable lessons about critical thinking, public speaking and leadership.”

Severn School sophomore Jane Huang called Mock Trial one of the “most worthwhile experiences” she’s had in high school. “There are always so many complexities in the cases and a level of emotional attachment forms where I feel like I’m experiencing the case and the situation firsthand,” Huang said.

Alanna Sokolov, a senior at Severn School, will attend Northeastern University in the fall. Because of her Mock Trial experience, she isn't ruling out a career in law. “Much of my decision to attend Northeastern was its top-ranking business program, its strength in diverse areas of study and its accelerated law program, giving me the opportunity to get involved in law professionally if I choose.”

Severn’s Mock Trial team won the state championship in 2007 and second place in 2009. Since then, the team has won several circuit and regional awards for its outstanding performance.

The Severna Park High School Mock Trial team won the state championship in 2015, 2010, 2008 and 2006. The teams in 2014 and 2013 made it to the regional round.

Christina Bowman, SPHS Mock Trial coach and English department chair, has led the Mock Trial team for the past five years. She said the Falcon team spends a lot of time on characterization.

“My kids work really hard to get into the mind of the characters they have to play,” Bowman said. “If they can understand the witness perspective, it’s easier to create a cohesive case. Otherwise, it’s just memorization. The students do a lot of role playing and a lot of practice trials to see where the holes are.”

Bowman said she can see her students grow in confidence and personal strength. “Perhaps the best skill students learn is what to do when you struggle,” noted Bowman. “It’s just not something where you can go in and be successful every year. Students learn to be their best every time and how to come back when their best wasn’t enough.”

Elizabeth Grund, a junior at Severn, believes Mock Trial taught her never to underestimate an opponent. “If you go into a situation thinking you are going to win, you only increase your chances of losing,” said Grund. “The best teams are ones who look beyond the obvious, because the small details add up quick to create a compelling case.”

To learn more about Maryland’s Mock Trail program, visit www.clrep.org/msba-high-school-mock-trial.html.