Most students have left the campus by 6:30 p.m., but one group has just arrived and is prepared to stay for hours. The mock trial team, composed of a group of students who are interested in trials, court cases and law is advised by history teachers April Fritz and Deedee Pearce.

Mock trial took on the challenge of courtroom imitation during an important competition on Thursday, February 2 against Willow Glen High School at the San Jose Courthouse, which took place over the course of four days. One round took takes place each day, meaning the teams who progress through all four rounds find themselves in the semifinals.

The team has been preparing for the competition for months and reviewing the case very carefully. All competing mock trial teams in the state are given the same case. The case that is being argued this year is called People versus Buschell. This case is centered on a man named Ryan Buschell who is accused of murdering his friend Becca Abeles because she knew he had cheated in order to maintain a 3.5 GPA and thus have access to a $20 million trust.

“Even though it’s the same exact trial for all of the mock trial teams in California, each team somehow manages to build a different case,” mock trial President senior Yasmeen Serhan said.

On Tuesday, January 24, the mock trial team had a home scrimmage against Claremont High School. The scrimmage allowed both teams to practice and prepare for their upcoming competition. During this scrimmage two classrooms were used, one for the defense team and one for the prosecution team.

The trials began with a quick opening statement from each side as well as introductions of all participating members. After that the actual trial began and witnesses were called forth to testify to the judge. This scrimmage gave the members of the team a taste of what members could expect on competition day.

Mock trial is not solely for people who are interested in law. Many of the current members are interested in learning about the courtroom, government functions and even theatrics.

“It’s a lot of fun to be part of the team and also to take on a character, because that’s really what the witnesses do,” Fritz said.

Although many strong members such as Kenny Moran and Libby Strichartz, ‘11, graduated last year, the team is coping with their absence well. The many new members of the group are adding to the growth and personality of the team.
“This group has their own vibe year after year, but they have been a lot of fun and really hardworking,” Fritz said.