The NH Mock Trial team has been built up by advisors Social Studies teacher, Mrs. Melissa Winter and English teacher, Mr. David Orth along with North Harford students. The team practices, studies, and then competes in Mock trials at the Harford County courthouse against other schools across the country.
Junior Savannah Picha says that, “We have to review a court case and then practice it, and later we go up in front of a judge and compete against another school.” In the end, based on each school’s performance, the judge would decide who wins the case. “You’re either defense or prosecution,” explains Picha.
Senior Charlotte Erisman is one of the attorneys for the team. “To prepare for competitions, we ask our witnesses questions the opposing team might ask so they are prepared to answer any questions,” Erisman stated. Along with that, during practice the team runs their own questions past other members to verify that they are asking relevant and important questions.
The members of the Mock Trial team get certain roles for the case. “For North Harford, we don’t have enough for two teams, so each player normally has two roles,” stated Picha. “I play Dana Luna and Roberta Lopez.” Along with Picha, junior Mikayla Dawson is also a part of the team. “I’m the lawyer for Dana and Danielle on prosecution and defense,” she explained.
There’s a lot to do to prepare for the competition. Dawson says she “studies really hard,” to prepare for the competition. The goal is to be as prepared as possible, which results in a lot of studying taking place prior to the competition. “It can be challenging depending on the role you have or how much you have to remember,” explained Picha. “If you have a longer part, it can be harder to remember, but it’s kind of just like studying for a test.”
Erisman says, “The hardest part I have found is watching my teammates take their turns. When it’s my turn, I am confident in my ability to improvise and make the points I need to.” She feels it’s hard to not have control over what will happen when her teammates take their turn at the courthouse.
These competitions take part once a week in the Harford County Courthouse. Picha enjoys going to the courthouse. “The first time I went, I was so nervous, but now it’s my favorite part.” Along with that, the junior says, “I like seeing all the progress that we have made.”
Dawson says her favorite part is “getting to know new people and practicing public speaking.” Although she enjoys public speaking, she gets nervous sometimes from “the pressure of being stared at by the judge.”
Along with what Dawson said, Erisman’s favorite part of Mock Trial is spending time with her teammates. “They are all very smart and funny people, so every practice is fun. It’s also really satisfying when we score really well at the meets,” stated the senior.
“We have only won one out of the four matches so far,” said Erisman. “However, as of February 4, we are about to start the play-off matches, which we feel prepared to win,” she continued.
Picha adds that she has been wanting to do Mock Trial for the past two years, but the school didn’t have enough interest to make a team until this year. “Finally, [Dawson] and I decided to do it together for a fun experience,” the junior explained. Along with Picha, Erisman is also excited to have had the opportunity to join Mock Trial this year. She says, “I wanted to join Mock Trial because, as typical as it sounds, I have always loved arguing. Nothing serious, but the chance to debate with other like-minded people and prove my point is really exciting.”
