On May 11, the WFS Mock Trial team packed their blazers and brief cases for the next round: the national competition in Boise, Idaho. The team of 8 students was eager to get started on another case after winning the state competition in February at the New Castle County Courthouse. Their case for nationals involved a sheep herding dispute in Idaho, where a local competitor in the cow herding business was accused of poisoning sheep with the “bluetongue virus”. The team prepared by reading through witness statements, developing arguments from the given evidence, memorizing cross examinations, and of course, learning how to effectively portray the characters involved in the case. Nick Gauthier ‘17 described the excitement, as well as the difficulty, of the competition: “It may seem simple because we read a case and know what is in all the witnesses statements but what makes it interesting is that each team interprets the case a little differently and brings out certain facts from the case. And because we perform on a time constraint, you can only do so much. You have to be able to think on your feet as a lawyer and know enough of the rules to get the evidence you want in for the jury to hear.” With only 5 weeks of preparation, in comparison to the 4 months leading up to the state competition, the Friends team did an amazing job. Senior and team lawyer Jodi Lessner ‘16 reflected on her team’s performance: “We competed the best that we could have possibly done, and I am so proud of everyone for how well they did. The fact that we were able to pull off the level of quality that we were in 5 weeks goes to show the level of dedication that our team had.” Danny Nakamura ‘19, a freshman on the team, shared his thoughts on the competition: “In general, a lot of preparation is needed to do well, and there is always going to be somebody that’s better than you. Still, the best part about the trip for me was being able to compete.”

Not only did the team enjoy participating in the competition, but they also took advantage of the opportunity to get to know each other better and explore the city of Boise. Allie Fulginiti ‘17 commented, “Along with the actual competition, there were several social events to get to know the other competitors. It was such an interesting experience because we got to meet different people from across the country with the same talents and interests as us.”

The team enjoyed learning and applying their skills outside the competition as well. Lessner explained the team’s strange and unexpected encounter with a fellow participant: “On Friday night, we had a debate with a kid from Oklahoma who was wearing a Confederate flag t- shirt. None of us on the team could possibly comprehend why he was wearing it, and after the entire team went up to ask him about it we still couldn’t quite understand given that his arguments were “states rights” to control taxes and “the bathrooms.” Although we clearly did not agree with him, it was an eye opening experience to learn that there are educated people out there with poor opinions, and that it’s important to be able to use the debating and critical thinking skills in mock trial and be able to apply them outside of the courtroom into real life experiences as well.” Along with an incredible overall experience, WFS Mock Trial took home some awards: Mary Agne ‘18, Katy Shannon ‘17, and Jason Seville ‘18 were named Star Witnesses; and Lessner and Joslyn Gardner ‘16 were named Star Attorneys. Congratulations to the Friends Mock Trial team on a great year!