trial team
Several weeks of practice turned into a trophy win for the Henryetta high school mock trial team in Tulsa Monday.
The team participated in a criminal case based on a fictional account of a teenager charged with negligent homicide.
HHS team members presented the case from both sides, prosecution and defense. There were several rounds of trial and scored by actual attorneys and judges. That scoring is based on the teams courtroom presence, proper trial procedure, and critical thinking skills involved in objections and responses based on the rules of competition and evidence as written specifically for these mock trials.
Each side presents three witnesses and through testimony of the facts in the case each witness is scored based on their trial presence, their understanding of the facts, and their ability to articulate the information well enough for a jury to understand the details of the case.
“These mock trials take place in real courtrooms throughout the state and are a great way for students to understand the daily lives of trial attorneys and the procedure of law that goes into a trial,” said HHS coach Patrick Turner. “Courtroom decorum and presence are a large part of the competition and the students come away with a better understanding of how American courtrooms work and operate on a daily basis.”
At the end of the judging, the Henryetta team of Emma Kranz, Tamra Smith, Saydee Stout, Leila Howton, Tyler Sisson, Skye Maldonado, Audrey Monks, Alec Delacal and Riley Floyd captured second place in the overall division. Howton and Smith were named best attorney and Stout and Maldonado chosen as best witness.
Four members of the team, Sarah Dunzy, Reese Dunzy, Ava Lisle and Jackson Powders, were unable to attend the contest.