High school teams from Ann Arbor and Novi shine in National Mock Trial Championship

Ann Arbor Huron High School and Novi High School represented the best of law related education in mid May at the National High School Mock Trial Championship.  Forty-six top finishing state and international teams gathered virtually to showcase their legal knowledge through simulated courtroom hearings.  Michigan has a long history of excellence in both the state and at the national championship.
 
Ann Arbor Huron High School advanced as Michigan’s State Champion to represent the state at the National Finals. The team performed extremely well with victories against many nationally known powerhouse schools. The students worked through the elements of a criminal trial portraying witnesses and attorneys while being scored by attorneys and judges

Students competing for the Michigan legal team from Ann Arbor Huron included:

James Choi, Virginia He, Varshini Kashyap, Vanya Krishna,Jessie Schwalb, Jennifer Shim, Veda Srinivas, Lillian Stewart, and Ridhima Kodali. Additional Members of the State Championship team included Haruka Nabeshima, Maddison Powell, and Jerry Yang. Huron’s community coaches and legal advisors included: Julie Heng, Abdul Kizito, Rithvik Kodali, Seyed Mirabedini, Serj Mooradian, Lucy Smith, and Kaveri Sharma.  They are led by instructor Andrew Face and principal Dr. Janet Schwamb.

Also in the competition is the emerging Courtroom Artistry Program. Selena Wang, student at Novi High School, advanced as the Michigan Courtroom Artist State Champion. She finished 3rd in the nation with her rendition of the Zoom courtroom. Wang’s Mock Trial instructors and coaches are Darcie Moss and Megan Chapin-Dubé. The legal team and the courtroom artist qualified to compete at the National competition based on their performance at the Michigan Center for Civic Education (MCCE)’s regional Mock Trial events and State Finals held February - March.  Over 35 schools and over 150 volunteers across the legal, governmental, political, and educational professions evaluated the students in their trials. 

Many Michigan volunteers served as judges. Scoring the final round were the Hon. Kameshia D. Gant of Michigan’s 6th Circuit and attorney Jay Yelton of Warner Norcross + Judd LLP represented Michigan as judges in the Blue Ribbon Championship Round. Also judging in the preliminary rounds were Hon. Curtis Bell of the Kalamazoo County Probate Court, Melanie Gagnon Fradette of the Auto Club Group, and Jennifer Rosa of the Michigan Department of the Attorney General.

Mock Trial is a program of the Michigan Center for Civic Education. Since 1982, MCCE has advanced civic knowledge through a series of student programs, professional learning, and more. In addition to Mock Trial, MCCE also hosts the We the People series, Project Citizen, and more to bridge students to the legal community, civic knowledge, and civic engagement.  

Together with the partnership of the State Bar of Michigan, next year MCCE will host the premier National High School Mock Trial Championship, May 5-7, 2022 in Kalamazoo, Michigan. This will be the first time the State of Michigan has hosted the event. Hundreds of volunteers are needed and sponsorships are available.

To learn more about MCCE and its programs contact Executive Director, Ellen Zwarensteyn, or visit www.miciviced.org.