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They’re Hot on the Case

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Maywood Public School’s Mock Trial team traveled to Hayes Center to compete in their final competition on November 17th. This year’s case was a criminal case where a factory owner was charged with arson and first degree murder of an employee. Although MPS’s team performed well in both roles as county prosecutor and as defense for the accused, “we were probably a little stronger as attorneys for the defendant,” noted Janice Arent, Maywood’s mock trial coach. Maywood’s competing schools are: Eustis-Farnam, Southern Valley, Perkins County, and Dundy County. Maywood’s Mock Trial participants include:  Jace Walther, Dakota and Calyn Werkmeister, Jon Snider, Jacob and Connor Williams, Keri Blackler and Coach Janice Arent. The Mock Trial is graded on their performance, if they perform and give their information well they win. It doesn’t matter who has the winning or losing side of the case. “Mock Trial is a good way for students to get a better understanding of the legal system and the students that participate seem to really enjoy it,” said Coach Arent.  She also noted that, “The team has done well and we were very happy with our win against Southern Valley.”

The national mock trial championship was initiated in 1984 in Des Moines, Iowa, with teams from Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska and Wisconsin participating. After the success of the tournament in Iowa, more states became interested in participating and the tournament became billed as an "All-State" Tournament. The competition then moved to Lincoln, Nebraska (1985) and involved 10 states. Mock trial is an extracurricular program in which students participate in rehearsed trials to learn about the legal system in a competitive manner. Interscholastic mock trials take place on all levels including primary school, middle school, high school, college, and law school. Mock trial is often taught in conjunction with a course in Trial Advocacy. The purpose of mock trial competitions is to stimulate and encourage a deeper understanding and appreciation of the legal system. The High School Mock Trial Project is administered and funded by the Nebraska State Bar Foundation and supported by hundreds of volunteer lawyers each year. There are 12 regions across the state. The winners of each region qualify for a state competition that is held in December.