As students in Mock Trial gear up for the big event on February 27th and 28th of 2015, each member works hard to succeed their big trial.  As members gather at night, eat pizza, and discuss ways to minimize witnesses, Joslyn Gardner ’16, a passionate three-year member discussed the ups, downs, challenges, and rewards that come with being in Mock Trial.

“The purpose of mock trial is to provide a platform for passionate debaters and actors who want to present a side of a case the best way they can within the laws of mock trial;” Gardner explains, “it is supposed to encourage and enlighten students about the court of law, and what happens during a real trial.” She continues by talking about the audition process. “My first year, I was pretty stressed out about my audition. I decided to memorize a monologue from the OJ Simpson trial,” said Gardner, but after I had that audition under my belt, the other auditions were really chill and I am very comfortable with our coaches.” This year, she talked about doing an interesting and abstract piece about a woman, a chair and a gun.  Not all things about Mock Trial get easier; you still have to memorize five-minute-long monologues, that must be tweaked as the case progresses. There are many rewarding parts of joining this club though.  Gardner explains that the most rewarding part of the club is at the end of the trial when you get to look back at all the work that you did and say, “I can’t believe I did that!” Mock Trial is a challenge, but ultimately rewarding and relieving.

Mr. Roskovensky, math teacher and Mock Trial proctor was interviewed to find out more about Mock Trial. Mr. Rosko, as most people refer to him as, joined the faculty last year and when he found out there was a vacancy for the position of proctor of Mock Trial, he jumped at the opportunity. “It seemed like an interesting club, even though I had no previous experience with Mock Trial,” said Roskovensky. When asked what was the most challenging part, he replied that there wasn’t much. The club is very much student-run, and they have two great lawyers to help the students. Roskovensky mainly handles the logistics of the club while showing up to every meeting and occasionally giving advice. In the end, Mr. Rosko enjoys being the sponsor of such a special club and hopes to continue being in charge.

Overall, both Gardner and Roskovensky enjoy being part of the Mock Trial community which consists of twenty hardworking members. When asked what she would say to people considering joining, Gardner replied, “Mock trial is a great experience, and you never know until you try, so for those who like acting or debating, you should really look into joining the team next year.” The club also does not have cuts. Mr. Rosko finally added, “Mock Trial requires a special blend of intelligence, logical thought, writing, and performance.  We have a strong group of students at WFS who are creating a tremendous club core for many years to come.” Mock Trial looks forward to new members next year and love what they are doing now.