For students looking for an extracurricular activity that encourages them to argue, they need look no further than State Bar of Georgia’s annual Mock Trial program. No athletic prowess is required; rather, participants hone their abilities to think critically and present information in such a persuasive way that it sways opinion. The skills are learned in a court-room like setting with cases, witnesses and evidence to be evaluated and analyzed.
For the last several years, no one has been better at arguing than students from Atlanta’s Grady High School. This year, the mock trial team captured its seventh state championship, outperforming 94 other teams and going on to take third place in the national competition held in May in Connecticut.
“Teams start practicing in September with volunteer attorneys as coaches,” explained Michael Nixon, who directs the high school mock trial contest for the State Bar. “It’s really a four-month crash course in becoming an attorney.”
The intensive learning curve makes mock trial teams more than an interest club, Nixon added. “It’s a competition sport with a learned skills set they have to master,” he said. “I tell all my new coaches and teams that they need to understand: This is not a meeting for one hour after school to watch ‘Law and Order’ or ‘My Cousin Vinny.’ It really takes a while to understand how to do a cross or direct examination.”
Not all students get to play lawyer, though. Others are selected to be witnesses who have to give their testimony in a credible, compelling fashion. “There’s definitely an acting side to it,” said Nixon, “but I think most kids are drawn to it because they like to argue.”
This year’s competition drew more than 1,600 students who were supported by 200 teachers and 320 attorneys who served as team coaches. At Grady, lead coach Carl Gebo has been working with students since 1995 when his mentor introduced him to the program.
“We have between 16 and 25 kids in any given year, and at last count, we’ve had more students who go on to be teachers or professors than lawyers,” he said. “But they do it for the intellectual challenge. They have very active intellects and are curious, especially since the cases are built around issues of interest to students; we’ve touched on bullying, hazing and cheating.”
Students also do research to make the experience as authentic as possible, Gebo added. “They work to understand what it’s like to have lived through the Cuban missile crisis, to be someone who works in horticulture or to understand what a shrimp-boat captain does. Mock trial has elements of improv, debate and moot court, and we take each of those elements very seriously, and that’s what has made this team so consistently strong.”
The role playing was a major attraction for senior Jared Steckl, a graduating senior who was part of Grady’s team for four years.
“Mock trial gives students a chance to step into the judicial system and become a character,” he said. “I’ve been a museum security guard, a taxi driver and a baseball statistician. You get a case and have to read the statutes and work with affidavits and exhibits. It’s fun and hard, but I’ve gained confidence in my public speaking and have developed a family around the team.”
The Virginia-Highland resident is headed to the University of Georgia where he may study law. “I know without having done mock trial, that idea wouldn’t have entered my head,” he said.
Information about the state’s Mock Trial program: georgiamocktrial.org.
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