As the calendar flips to winter, a murder case in this Mock trial season as Varsity and JV plan to tackle the case of who killed Astor Rufflebottom. The prosecution consists of, Carne Mustard, Taylor Blavins-Swyft, and finally Carter Billy Jobs. The defense is M.J Mossbridge, Coco, ending with Adrian Stevie Gates. We asked how Madi Pinnow a sophomore at Lodi Highschool felt about being a witness this year “Well it’s really fun acting out a character and bringing them out in court. It’s something I cannot wait to improve on and experience in depth.
If you don’t understand how a mock trial works, it’s set up like this: There are two teams. The prosecution and defense will each have three attorneys and witnesses. Each attorney will do a direct exam with their witness and a cross-examination on their opponents. The point of the trial is to make the other teams lose points and earn your own. The sport is also known for improving students’ skills in public speaking, critical thinking, and teamwork.
The Mock Trial season is not just about competition; it’s also about community. Teachers and local attorneys often volunteer as judges or help with mentorship, providing insight and feedback. Firstly we have our primary coach Mrs.Potter who is the foundation for this great team and did high school Mock Trial herself being coached by Kevin. Lodis’s own coach attorney is Kevin Calkins, who has been devoted to our team for 20+ years. Also this year, we have a new assistant coach, Laura D’Agostino, who is currently a third-grade teacher at the elementary school. Though new to the team, Mrs. D’Agostino has already had a positive impact on both teams.
As the season continues we hope to see more of the team’s strengths, even recently at a Brookfield tournament, our JV won their subsection court. With a brand new attorney witness pair getting best attorney awards and best witness awards together. That pair consisted of Lydia McGrath a freshman and Ella Carter a sophomore. In fact Ella made an comment about how she felt winning this award for the first time, “ I didn’t expect winning this for still being a new witness and especially not when this is my first competition that’s not a scrimmage. I’m also happy for Lydia getting the best attorney as she works pretty hard.”.
We the publication wish the JV and Varsity good luck in their future competitions!
