The Community High School Mock Trial Team, led by social studies teacher Chloe Root, took first place at the Michigan High School Mock Trial Competition on March 23rd, defeating a formidable team from Kalamazoo Central High School in the final round held at the Veteran’s Memorial Courthouse in Lansing.
This hard-fought victory represents years of preparation and the dedication of a tight-knit group of students, some of whom began their mock trial journey virtually as freshmen during the lockdown of 2020, said Root.
“I can’t emphasize how proud of this team I am,” said Root. “Mock Trial is funny in that you get rewarded for your hard work with another month of really hard work—a new case. But with this team, it’s been such a pleasure because they are so fun to work with, and work so well with one another.”
Although this is the ninth time Community High has won the State Championship in its three-decade history, the last time the school’s team represented the State was in 2015.
The road to the state championship was an emotional one for Root and her team. Just a week before the tournament, Root’s father Mark passed away after a long illness. At a time of profound grief, the mock trial community rallied around Root and her team, with students and parents stepping up to handle logistical tasks so the team could focus on preparing their case.
“Especially because my dad was a big supporter of the team, it has been really healing for me to spend all of these extra hours working on the new case with this community of students, parents, and coaches I have come to love and value so much,” said Root.
Now, Community High’s team of 30 students will represent Michigan at the national competition from May 2-4 in Wilmington, Delaware. (To donate to the team’s fundraiser to go to nationals, click here.)
According to the Michigan Center for Civic Education, “Mock Trial is an amazing extra-curricular, co-curricular, and curricular program. Mock Trial advances knowledge and skills incorporating trial procedure, justice, rule of law, and more while encouraging teamwork, collaboration, and public speaking skills.”
Students transform themselves into witnesses and attorneys and enact case facts in front of attorneys and judges in actual courtrooms.
More than 30 Community High students participate in the program in various capacities.
“We have two competing teams—our more experienced/competitive A-Team and our JV B-Team—as well as a number of students who participate as alternate lawyers & witnesses, timers, team managers, a courtroom artist, and journalist,” said Root. “This was our first year with both a courtroom artist and journalist, and our journalist, who is a freshman, took second place in the state! The victory at States is really the product of the hard work and dedication of all of the members since everyone on the team contributes to the overall success in one way or another. Our B Team and A Team practice by going up against each other, so any competitive success of one team is really a credit to both.”
Root said she has many people to thank.
“I want to thank the volunteer coaches, Billie Ochberg, Judah Garber, Bob West, and Trent Collier, the former Mock Trial students, coach, and parent—Judge Judith E. Levy—who have come in to help us out or hosted us in her courtroom, the generous donors in our community who have helped make the trip to Delaware affordable, the families of all of the team members who give up so much time with these incredible students and support us all, and of course the team, whom I have so much love for, and who have been so kind, diligent, and wonderful to work with.”
She also wants to thank the Litigation Section of the Michigan Bar Association for its recent generous $5000 donation because it means the trip will be within reach for even all of the non-competing members of the team who want to go to nationals.
The success of the mock trial program extends far beyond trophies and titles, according to Jared Aumen, Ann Arbor Public Schools’ District Chair for Secondary Social Studies.
“At a time when the public’s trust in democratic institutions is low,” he said, “I think seeing the energy that students and coaches put into Mock Trial helps to restore some confidence in our civic future.”
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