This past Friday, SHS Mock Trial members met the challenges of their first official competition head-on at districts.

SHS was represented by two teams: Green Team and Gold Team. Each team consisted of four attorneys and four witnesses split evenly among two sides. In the competition, the prosecution of one team went up against the defense of another to present a fictional case, which was moderated and scored by a panel of local lawyers and judges.

Both Mock Trial teams this year have faced many obstacles. The entirety of Green Team and over half of Gold Team consisted of members with no prior Mock Trial experience. Additionally, the first competition both teams were set to participate in was canceled because of cold weather and snow.

But the Mock Trial team members persevered. Led by co-captains Ifedolapo Ogunbodede, 11 and Paige VanderBrink, 11, they worked tirelessly to prepare for the upcoming competition.

“We put in so much time and effort into preparing,” said Green Team member Annmarie Trabold, 10. “We knew we couldn’t give up. We had to keep working hard.”

Even with the odds against them, SHS Mock Trial members came out swinging at districts, receiving 2 awards per team.

Gold Team sophomore Alp Oenguec and Green Team junior Ariana Habeeb received Outstanding Witness awards. Green Team sophomore Kiran Makkad and Gold Team junior Brogan Baum received Outstanding Attorney awards.

Although they were not able to make it to regionals, all Mock Trial team members agree that this result is just a stepping stone for future success.

“We all put in so much work this year. I know next year we’ll come back improved and ready to win!” Ogunbodede said.