The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
LAWYERS IN THE MAKING
Students participate in mock trial
Local high school students learned a lot about the criminal justice system Jan. 17 as they participated in mock trials at Elyria Municipal Court.
The event was the 37th annual Ohio Mock Trial Competition hosted by Elyria Municipal Court Judge Gary C. Bennett.
The trials took place in the three upstairs courtrooms at Elyria Municipal Court, 601 Broad St.
Ohio Mock Trial competitions involved over 3,000 students from around the state of Ohio, according to a news release.
The district competition at Elyria Municipal Court hosted teams from North Olmsted High School, Lake Ridge Academy in North Ridgeville and Open Door Christian High School in Elyria.
The 1 p.m. trial in Courtroom B, with Bennett presiding, had
“We practiced for the trial over the course of four months.”
— Natalie McHamon, 14, Lake Ridge freshman
a team of Lake Ridge Academy seniors vs. a team of freshmen students, also from Lake Ridge Academy. The seniors prevailed to win the competition.
The senior team along with another Lake Ridge Academy team are advancing to a regional round.
“We are both from the same school and actually
practiced together leading up to this, so it really doesn’t matter who won,” said Natalie McHamon, 14, a Lake Ridge freshman who was a plaintiff’s attorney for the mock trial. “We practiced for the trial over the course of four months.
“We worked with legal advisors and formulated how we wanted the session to go. Overall, it went very well.”
Serena Sperry, 14, a freshman, also was on the plaintiff’s side in the case.
“It was a great opportunity for us,” Serena said. “It was really good for practicing public speaking and learning how a courtroom works.”
Paul Jonathan Yoo, 17, a senior at Lake Ridge Academy, was on the side of the defense during the trial.
“It really is a great way of seeing how the justice system works on the surface,” Paul said. “For me, it was a great opportunity to work on my oratory skills.
“I thought the freshmen
did a great job. The thought is that it would be easier for us being seniors, but they were really well prepared.
“It really doesn’t matter who won. The biggest take away for me was having fun.”
Elyria Municipal Court has served as the district location for the last 18 years.
This program is coordinated by the Ohio Center for Law Related Education and sponsored by the Ohio Supreme Court, Attorney General of Ohio,
Ohio State Bar Association and ACLU of Ohio, the release said.
The Ohio Center for Law Related Education designs programs to assist teachers in teaching students about government, citizenship and the law.
Ohio’s Mock Trial Competition is the second largest in the United States, the release said.
The 2020 Ohio Mock Trial case focuses on First Amendment student speech; specifically, the difference
between on-campus and off-campus speech.
The scenario that students practiced was fictional plaintiff Rory Maldonado sued his former high school and the high school principal for violating their First Amendment right to free speech.
Rory was suspended from Senior Week activities and banned from walking at graduation due to his involvement with and planning of a demonstration for gun rights.