Butte County Mock Trial teams make their case
Las Plumas High tops Inspire at annual Butte County competition
It was a case of robbery and battery when teams from Las Plumas High School and Inspire School of Arts and Sciences went toe to toe in the Butte County Mock Trial on Friday, with Las Plumas winning the annual competition.
During the Mock Trial, hosted by the Butte County Office of Education and held at the Butte County Courthouse, students present their cases in a courtroom before actual judges and attorneys. This year, Judge Tamara L. Mosbarger and Commissioner Virginia Gingery presided.
Teams from both schools spent the year studying the “case” of People v. Franks, in which a young actor, Jordan Franks, was charged with robbery and battery of another actor. They are required to present the prosecution and defense arguments over the course of the competition; the students must prepare a case for both sides, thereby gaining a comprehensive understanding of the pertinent legal and factual issues.
“Mock Trial provides students with valuable and practical insight into the legal system,” said Erika Romo, Butte County Deputy District Attorney and cocoach of the Las Plumas team. “Students learn how to work as part of a team, along with building their communication and critical thinking skills within a competitive environment.”
Las Plumas High teacher Bret Lawson served as the on-campus coach for the winning team, which will now go on to represent the county at the California State Mock Trial in March in Los Angeles.
The Inspire team was coached by teacher Evita North and personal injury attorney Adam Sorrells. This was the first year Inspire has competed in the com
petition, which has been taking place for more than a decade.
“I decided to do mock trial because I’ve always had an interest in our legal system and would love to become a constitutional lawyer someday,” said Inspire senior Eliana Hinnenberg, student team captain. “I learned more about specific legal processes as well as getting to learn about pretrial.
“My favorite thing about the courthouse mock trial event was the camaraderie between the schools and getting to think on our feet. It was all a lot of fun.”
The competition is open to students grades 9 through 12 from all high schools in the county. Its purpose is to engage students in setting goals, examining issues as they exchange ideas and study the assigned case preparing both prosecution and defense strategies and arguments for trail. It also assists students in developing presentation skills, analytic ability and cooperation, said Mary Ellen Garrahy, BCOE student events manager and Mock Trial coordinator.
“Mock Trial teaches our high school students about the legal system with a hands on experience,” said Garrahy. “I appreciate how much valuable feedback the judges and attorneys gave to our students throughout the trial. I think going through this process inspires a lot of students to want to enter the legal field.”
Scoring was done by local volunteer attorneys, including public defenders Jim Petelin and Tahj Gomes. Volunteers from the district attorney’s office included JJ Stark-Modlin, Roger Wilson and Leah Sears. Sharon Stover from California Northern School of Law also volunteered.
The highest individual-scoring student prosecutors in the competition were Maya Klein and Hinnenberg from Inspire and Emilee Fletcher and Bryken Bill from Las Plumas.
The highest individualscoring student defense attorneys were Kaylyn Peterson and Brooklyn Broadway from Las Plumas and Yamil Nassif-Sanchez from Inspire.