Summit Mock Trial 

Goals: The Mock Trial program is run by the Ohio Center for Law Related Education.  The goals of the program and the benefits for the students are clearly and succinctly outlined on their website as follows:

“The Ohio Mock Trial Program is an academic competition designed to foster a better understanding of the American democratic legal system and to encourage development of analytical and communication skills. In moving from the classroom to the courtroom, high school students add an important dimension to their learning experience in citizenship education. Through first-hand experience, the Mock Trial Competition can serve to teach students about their rights and responsibilities under the Constitution and prepare students for possible future involvement as parties, witnesses and jurors in trials.”  http://www.oclre.org/MT/default.htm

“Objectives:

• to improve basic skills such as critical thinking, listening, speaking, and reading
• to develop a greater understanding and appreciation for the law, court procedures, and the judicial system
• to increase understanding of our constitutional rights and responsibilities
• to recognize students' academic and intellectual achievements”  http://www.oclre.org/MT/default.htm

BASIC INFO

The Summit Country Day Upper School began competing in the Ohio Mock Trial Competition in the 2001-2002 school year.  The Summit fields 2 teams each year with a combined total of 16 major and 2 minor competition roles.  Each team has 4 students as lawyers, 4 as witnesses, and 1 in the minor role of bailiff/timekeeper.  2 of the lawyers argue the defense and 2 argue the prosecution side of the case.  The witnesses are also split with 2 for each side.  In February, on one Tuesday after school at the Hamilton County Courthouse downtown one side of a team will argue the case against another school.  The following Tuesday the other side will compete against a different school.  The scores for the prosecution side and the defense side of the team are then combined and compared with the other schools.  The top 4 teams in Hamilton county advance to the state competition in Columbus in March.  Hamilton County is the most competitive county in the state with as many as 50 teams competing in some years.  So on each Tuesday of the competition there can be as many as 25 trials going on.  In each courtroom the judges award a certificate of Best Witness and Best Lawyer to a deserving student from one of the competing schools.

WHEN DO WE PRACTICE? AND HOW TO PARTICIPATE?

Schools receive the case for the year in late October and began to prepare for the competition immediately with the help of the faculty advisor and two local lawyers who serve as legal advisors.  Meetings run from late October through February and take place on Saturday mornings and after school.  These times conflict with practice times for winter sports teams so students cannot play a winter sport and compete on the Mock Trial team.  If student interest exceeds 16 then tryouts are held for the 16 major competition roles in mid-October.  Students who have participated in Mock Trial in the previous year in either competition or non-competition roles and done a good job do have an advantage in the tryouts over new students.

      WHY DO IT?

Students do not generally participate in Mock Trial just to compete.  After 3 1/2 months of preparation each student will in fact only get to compete once on one Tuesday in mid-February.  Because of the highly competitive nature of Hamilton County's division of Mock Trial and the number of teams involved it is very difficult to move beyond the county and compete in the state competition in March or the National competition in April.

Students who participate as lawyers generally do so because they enjoy learning about the law and developing a case.  Students who participate as witnesses sometimes do so for those reasons as well.  However, the witness role involves some acting ability so some of those students participate for a chance to act.  As can be seen under the list of "objectives" above, all students actively involved with Mock Trial come away with something.

For more information students should stop by and see Ms. Cronin in Room 210.