26 March 2013
Photo courtesy of the Press Enterprise
VICTORY: Poly’s Mock Trial team gets the gold at the county tournament.
By Tyler Demshki, Staff Writer
Mock Trial is an excellent extracurricular activity for both the aspiring lawyer and the interested student. And, in some cases, this rewarding activity can house excellent members. Just like the students on Poly’s mock trial team.
On March 2, Poly’s mock trial team, coached by teacher Matthew Schiller, won the Riverside County competition, beating King High School in the finals. The tournament started with four preliminary rounds, which determined which teams would move on to the Elite Eight. Poly ended up receiving the first seed after winning all four of its preliminary rounds. The team then advanced to the Elite Eight and proceeded to win the tournament from there by winning the final three rounds.
The specifics of the year’s case dealt with how bicyclist Cameron Douglas was hit by a Bueller automobile on his way home from work, and that the driver of the car fled the scene. The suspected driver of this car was either foreign exchange student Toni De Luca or Adrian Vegas, the daughter of mayor Angelica Vega. Toni De Luca and Adrian Vega both accuse each other of hitting the cyclist, but it is Vega who is charged with the crime. If found guilty, Adrian Vega stands to lose her prized swim scholarship.
In the final round against King, Poly’s attorneys were Emma Cunningham (11), Isaiah Murtaugh (12) and Misha Perinova (11), who argued on behalf of the defendant, Jessica Montezuma (12). Taris Henry (12), Kendall Morris (11) and Kendall Ferre (10) also took the stand as witnesses, with Aysouda Malekzadeh (11) acting as bailiff.
Naturally, the attorneys of the case had a challenging part, but being the defendant carried its own responsibilities and worries. “As the defendant, I have to really listen and react to what every single person is saying throughout the case. I’m always on stage. Sometimes it’s difficult to pay attention, simply because it is the same case over and over again,” Montezuma said.
As with many achievements, this victory cost a lot of time and preparation. “We’ve been practicing since October—at least six, seven hours a week,” Murtaugh said.
However, the victory at the country competition was not the team’s only accolade. Perionova also won an award for Best Attorney and received a summer internship with the Public Defender’s office, an exciting prospect for the student, as she is eyeing law as a possible profession. “For the longest time, I’ve only been considering medicine, but in the last few months, I’ve really been considering law,” Perionova said.
The Poly Mock Trial team is now preparing for the state tournament, which is slated to begin on March 22. The competition at that level is certainly fierce; Poly has won three times in the last 28 years. Hopefully, that number will soon become four victories in 28. Knock on wood.