Return To Form in Mock Trial

Mock Trial has seen a new approach to format due to the return of instructor Tecia Barton. Perhaps the most recurring answer to the question of a high schooler’s preferred future profession is why they would be enamored with the occupation of a lawyer. According to Indiana University’s Health Professions and Prelaw Center, they alone are contacted by over 5,000 high school students per year who indicate an interest in either law or medicine. However, unbeknownst to many of these students, the job of a lawyer is often gruelling, demanding, and punishing to the end. Students at Palos Verdes High School who want their dedication and devotion to the law to be tested, however, have had the opportunity since a year after the reopening of the high school in 2002 to join Mock Trial. Mock trial is a seventh period class that requires students to execute a performance where the roles of various lawyers and witness from a fake case are assigned. Barton, AP United States History and AP American Government teacher, began the program in 2003. She handed the reigns over to Roni Goodman in 2013, who saw changes in the program varying from the exclusion of tryouts to an overall increase in attendance. Nevertheless, Mock Trial seemed to be on a positive trajectory until Goodman resigned from her position at the school earlier this year, leaving it up to Barton to again continue the program she had worked with for so long. The beginning of the current training for the Mock Trial 2015 competition has already seen evident changes, including the reintroduction of tryouts as well as a strict attendance policy. Barton stated, “Mock Trial is a class preparing for a competition. Students need to learn the tools of the trade…and by November reach a performance level that they will both feel confident in and display confidence in when they compete against other high school teams…[and] a panel of actual Superior Court Judges and licensed attorneys.” She went on to say that there are undoubtedly major changes that are occurring this year that many students are not used to, especially those students who had never experienced her as the Mock Trial instructor before.
Even with these sudden changes, however, Barton said, “From my experience of teaching Mock Trial and my life as a trial attorney, I can guarantee to each student [that]…the overall experience is rewarding, the acquisition of skills invaluable, and building of peer camaraderie memorable.”Due to the sudden change in process and structure in Mock Trial, many students are eager to see where the program will go this year, and whether the team will ultimately do well in the competition in November. Senior Duncan Reid, who is in his fourth year of Mock Trial and has seen the instruction of both Barton and Goodman, recognizes a clear distinction between the two. He said, “[The changes] are great. Ms. Barton is bringing a sense of professionalism to the program that was lacking previously. It’s also helpful that she’s a classroom teacher and knows how to run a classroom.” He believes that the overall adjustments to the program this year will be for its benefit, and that although the team was lucky to have the leadership of Goodman, Barton’s instruction is what the team truly needed in order to perform better at this year’s competition than in previous years.While Reid has already observed what Mock Trial had looked like under Barton, many students who have only joined in the last two years have not had the chance.
Senior Joey Rich joined Mock Trial for the first time last year under the watch of Goodman. Since he had not yet experienced the course under Barton until the present year, he does not have much insight into what to expect throughout the program’s duration. Nevertheless, he believes that Barton’s return is overall advantageous, saying, “[Barton] seems to really care about the program and wants us to learn a lot from it. She’s giving it a lot more structure than it had last year.” Rich, like Reid, believes that Mock Trial will benefit greatly from its change in leadership. He feels that the changes that have come with the reappearance of Barton are clearly positive for the program as a whole. Both students who had previously experienced Barton’s way of instruction as well as those who had no knowledge of it agree that Mock Trial has a bright future regarding both the newfound knowledge of its students as well as their success in the competition in November. Even with the sudden alteration of Mock Trial’s instructor, the class still seems like the quintessential program for those students who are anxious to see their skills as an aspiring lawyer in the court. The difficulties of being a lawyer are further amplified in this situation as unforeseen modifications arise at times when one least expects them, leaving one in wonder and apprehension about the events to come in the future. As practicing lawyer Greg Hill, father of Sophomore Thomas Hill, said, “There are few professions where one is both adored and scorned…One must be zealous for the client, while carefully balancing ethical obligations and practical issues…All this must be done as quickly as possible while being effortless.”
The additions to the Mock Trial program this year will unquestionably test the adaptability and response of the future lawyers of PV High.