Monroe-Woodbury’s Mock Trial club is heading to court on Saturday, March 14. The team of six will head to the BOCES center for their first competition against Goshen High School as the defensive team and against Washingtonville High School for prosecution.

If they advance, which would mean getting at least eighth place out of 12 teams, Monroe will also compete on March 21. The competition will take place in a real court room in front of a real judge. 

A mock trial is an imitation of a real court trial. Teams are assigned a court case by the competition and have to prove their side innocent or the other side guilty using evidence given out by the competition. You can choose to be a lawyer or a witness, and there are multiple roles to play.

During the competition, each side makes an opening statement and then asks the witness questions, either defending or prosecuting. Each team is on a different side of the case each round. It is a simulation of a court trial and mimics it as much as possible. 

“My favorite part about Mock Trial is watching the performances and watching kids grow and how they expand their skills,” said Mr. Verboys, the club adviser.

Mr. Verboys said kids who join the club will learn skills such as public speaking, speaking with confidence,  learning how to think on your feet, and teamwork. 

“The best part is coming together as a team and problem solving,” said Brett Laderman, a senior at Monroe-Woodbury High School.

Laderman has been in mock trial for four years. He said that the skills he has learned to help him in the future are leadership, teamwork, and public speaking.

Freshman Anne Mangot has improved her public speaking, how to speak in court, and how to conduct better research since joining Mock Trial . She would like to improve on not letting the pressure of the case get to her as she continues mock trial through high school. Her favorite part of the club is the people and the speaking skills she has gained.

A team advances by the judge awarding your team points based on your skills as a lawyer or witness. Both teams in a round have the opportunity to advance if they have more points than another team. This means even if you lose the case, you can still advance in the competition.