For almost 20 years, one of the best kept secrets at Boulder High School has been its extremely successful Mock Trial Team. This year’s team is no exception – it recently finished 6th in Colorado out of 22 teams that competed in the state finals in March. Also in the top ten this year was BVSD's Peak to Peak team, which placed 9th. The finals were held at the Larimer County Justice Center in Fort Collins.
The Boulder High team was made up of seven juniors – Samantha (Sam) LaPres, Zoe Polk, Grace Garcia, Lauren Gallagher, Gabby Porter, Daily Kluck and Jake Harman. In addition to their 6th place achievement, Boulder High received two special recognition awards as well: the 2008 Mock Trial Tournament “Team Professionalism” award for the team and an “Outstanding Attorney” award for member Sam LaPres.
Their success at the competition was particularly sweet because, for the first time in the history of the BHS Mock Trial Team, three students abandoned the team between the Regional Competition and the State Tournament. This meant that the remaining team members had to work extremely hard to reconfigure the team and double up on several of the attorney and witness parts. While the team members feared the worst because of these last minute changes, the team actually became a better and stronger team without the students who left.
In addition to the hard work of these seven students, the outstanding success of this year’s team is owed to Pat Furman, an attorney who works at the University of Colorado School of Law, as well as several other local attorneys who volunteered their time and talents to our team. Boulder High Teacher Howard Tuttle is the BHS Mock Trial sponsor. Because all of the members of this year’s team are juniors, the future of the Boulder High School Mock Trial program looks very promising for next year.
The Peak to Peak Mock Trial team placed 9th at the state competition in March after winning the district competition. The team comprised five veteran seniors and a first-year student, all boasting a diverse set of accomplishments.
While honing Mock Trial skills as a team for the past four years, the Peak to Peak seniors also followed other passions. Nathan Otey, arguably the lead lawyer for the team, has competed at the national level in Speech and Debate after placing first in his division at the state level. Margaret Weingart, who plans to attend the Air Force Academy in the fall, has won several state-level titles in track, specifically in hurdles and relays. In addition to being a strong state contender in Speech and Debate, Caitlin Danielson is an academic all American lacrosse player. Lexie Martin, also strong as a state qualifier in Speech and Debate, is an accomplished ballet dancer. While placing first in the physics division at the regional science fair and moving to the state-level competition, Devyn Shafer is also a classically trained vocalist, performing in regional, state and national honor choirs. Travis Otey, the freshman member of the team, is off to an auspicious high school career as a member of the varsity soccer team. Additionally, three members of the team, Nathan, Margaret and Devyn, earned National Merit Scholarship Finalist status.
The Peak to Peak team is grateful for the tireless coaching and guidance of Christine Ebner, a poverty law attorney; Sarah Croog, a civil litigation attorney; and Cynthia Wilondek, a Peak to Peak social studies teacher and team sponsor.
Click here for full results of the 2008 Colorado Bar Association High School Mock Trial Tournament.
High school students who participate in the Colorado Bar Association's mock trial program are given a rare opportunity to learn about the substance and the processes of the law and to have their performances critiqued by experienced trial lawyers and judges. Participants also learn important life skills such as cooperation, team work and professional courtesy.
In Mock Trial, the teams prepare both sides of the case and don’t find out which side they will be presenting until they step into the courtroom. Students perform all roles and are judged on how well they know the case, question witnesses, advocate their side of the case, make and respond to objections, display persuasive argument skills, and how well the witnesses present their roles.
This year in Colorado, the teams tried a “cold” criminal case involving a brutal robbery at the Fort Collins Farmers Market, during which a promising young street performer was killed.