Aidyn Schmitt
The AHS Mock Trial team will be competing in Mason City this Friday, March 8th. The AHS team of students is composed of Jasper Wirth, Lauren Klemm, Sophia Snider, Audrey Snider, Flynn McCann, Remi Shaffer, Paige Vileta, Evie Guenther, Abbie Droessler, Zoe Nason, Waverly Espe, Abby Lampe, and Loralei Brady. This will be the first time AHS has competed in Mock Trial in six years. The team will either be assigned prosecution or defense, meaning they need to be prepared for anything.
The fake case for this competition is over a man who got into a bar fight and ended up dying. Each side will have to examine witnesses to break apart people’s stories. The students have found many aspects of the case interesting, but Jasper Wirth says, “It’s been a lot of fun seeing these court cases behind the scenes.”
Each student has a different part to play. Whether it’s cross examining or timekeeper, all play an important role in succeeding. At the end of the trial, a real judge will compare their preparation levels and execution. The winning team will advance to the State level, held at UNI on April 4th and 5th. From there, they will compete for participation in Nationals.
In preparation, the students recently traveled to Garner, Iowa, to sit in on a court case for real life experience. This case gave them great insight into the legal jargon and different procedures used in a professional setting. Many who attended agreed it was nothing like what’s portrayed on television, and in reality, cases are more structured.
Make sure to wish your peers good luck!