In recent years, students without an extra elective slot for a Law class have found themselves empty handed when it comes to their passion for the subject . Now, the mock courtroom is open once again and students with interests in the practices of law should look no further.
However, this was not always the case.
When President of Mock Trial Club, Nicholas Pizzo first arrived at LFHS as a freshman two years ago, he was already aware of the idea of a mock trial club but he was disappointed to find out that it simply did not exist at the school.
Until this year, Pizzo was hesitant to start the club. Pizzo said, “I didn’t know that was something I had the ability to do.”
Things turned around when Pizzo found out he could start the club at the beginning of this school year. After reaching out to Business Education teacher Mr. Alexander Mann to be a club advisor, Pizzo had his club pilot approved.
Now, the Mock Trial Club meets every Monday at 3:30pm in the HRC room.
At a typical club meeting, students can expect a lesson on anything law-related from objections to analyzing witness testimonies. Led by both Pizzo and sophomore Vice President Adelyn Jacobs, students leave the club with the ability to conduct themselves in a courtroom setting.
Though Mock Trial Club has previously existed at LFHS, its last iteration did not feature competitions.
Like other speech-oriented clubs such as Model United Nations and the Debate Team, Mock Trial has various competitions in which a team earns points for their ability to argue for their side of a legal case. Currently, Mock Trial is preparing their members for an invitational competition on February 24th, and plans to attend a state competition in Springfield on March 16th and 17th.
Mann is proud of the students who take part in and lead Mock Trial. He said, “Nick Pizzo and Addy Jacobs have really taken the bull by the horns and done a tremendous amount of planning for this club. I think it’s terrific on a week to week basis.”
Even more so, students are enjoying their time at Mock Trial. Junior Jordan Miles said, “On the first day of Mock Trial, we finished talking about objections early, so for the last 20 minutes we got to do a quick murder trial which was cool since we got to incarcerate Victoria Garcia de Leaniz Hernandez.”
Whether you’re a law-driven scholar, or just looking for something to do after school on Mondays, Mock Trial offers a blend of humor, learning, and the right amount of fun.
Mann says “If you just want to come hang out and have some snacks and enjoy the Publick Room, [Mock Trial] is a nice way to relax on a Monday afternoon.”
