Written By: Isaac Julian, Staff Writer
Poly Mock Trial Serves Justice in 2024 Season
PRIMACY: The Poly Mock Trial team secures the lead in the county competition.
The Poly Mock Trial team has just entered the Elite Eight in the county Mock Trial competition! Just one step closer to adding yet another win to their 19 win county record, the team is preparing more than ever to secure the win this year. Being the only 4-0 team out of 22 schools in the county, outscoring teams like King and Notre Dame, Poly is ready for anything going into these final rounds of competition.
Getting to this point wasn’t without its challenges. Coming off of a multiple year period of exclusively online trials, nearly every team was struggling to integrate back into the courtroom. This meant that, up until this year, many newcomers were being adopted into a team with little foundation. Attorney coach Carlos Monagas explained that, even this year, there have been “a lot of competitors in roles that they’ve never competed in.” Despite this, through their long hours of practice and scrimmaging, they’ve reached a point where they pose a threat to every team in the county.
There are a myriad of different roles students perform when on the team. Those with natural confidence and argumentative nature on the team may end up as a prosecution or defense attorney. Their task is to walk their witnesses through their own testimony, in order to elicit facts and character evidence that may sway the ruling. Then, they shift to the other side, asking the other team’s witnesses questions to weaken the credibility of what they have said. Connor Julian (11), for example, works as an attorney on both prosecution and defense. He “deliver[s] opening statements for the prosecution… and lay[s] out the facts of the case.” Attorneys are also responsible for objections, which are direct challenges to the words spoken by the witness or opposing attorney. While possibly the most time consuming job, this position puts you at the forefront of the entire case.
If the analytical approach doesn’t seem to fit you, then playing a witness may be the perfect fit. For Mock Trial cases, you adopt the identity of someone involved with the case at hand, studying their witness statement in order to portray them. Take Mackenzie Watkins (12), who’s “been a witness for both of the two years that [she’s] been a mock trial member.” She currently plays Gerri Moayed for the prosecution, a quirky and eccentric wellness coach who worked with the victim before their tragic passing. While the case materials may depict this character as mildly interesting, Mackenzie is able to add her own spin to make things more entertaining, like with her iconic opening line “namaste.” Amongst the eight total witnesses, there is bound to be a personality to match each one.
While not being the highlight of the trial, there exists other roles that play a crucial part in the team’s lineup. The clerk, who meticulously keeps track of time, and the bailiff, who keeps order in the courtroom; both carry the responsibility of keeping the trial moving. Finally, the most underappreciated section of Mock Trial, and Carlos’ favorite, pretrial. There, pieces of evidence are argued to be admitted or not admitted during the trial based on a massive list of previously decided cases, and each team has the freedom to create their very own arguments based off of them. Carlos shared that “analyzing the legal issues and thinking of ways to marshal the facts” is what makes pretrial so engaging for him, despite being the most rigorous and challenging job.
Once this season comes to an end, there are always seniors graduating, opening up spots for new members. So even if you aren’t thinking of becoming a lawyer in the future, the skills you gain from Mock Trial are immense. Club representative Mr. Schiller described skills such as “analytical thinking, teamwork, [and] public speaking” as things that you will carry with you “for the rest of [your life].” Mock Trial gives these opportunities and more as you practice and become close friends with everyone on the team.
But as we speak, the Poly Mock Trial team continues on in their preparation for the upcoming rounds against top teams in Riverside County. Knock on wood, and wish them luck as they fight to once again become county champions!
