Webutuck's mock trial team heads to court

WEBUTUCK — Webutuck High School’s mock trial team returned to the U.S. District Court in Brooklyn this past October to serve as mock jurors at an international mock trial event. Fourteen students from the record-setting 21-member team spent the day in New York City along with staff advisor Steven Pollak and faculty member and parent Regina McCoy.

Arriving in Brooklyn for the trials, the team was divided into two groups. The experienced mock trial members saw teams from England and Pennsylvania, while new additions to the team saw championship teams from Wisconsin and Tennessee. Each trial was based on the same case, and the team later discussed the different approaches taken in the trials they observed.

New team members Claire Markonic and Shannon Wood were impressed by the high level of performance turned in by the witnesses and student attorneys.

 Wood said the high school students she saw were “well prepared and thorough.â€� Markonic agreed, calling them “professional.â€�

Experienced mock trial team members Meagan McCoy, Jeanne Boyd and Arianna Evans shared what they saw as tactical errors committed by both sides, with Evans noting that “even champions overlook some details.�

Overall, the team members said the trip was a successful experience of team building as well as preparation for their upcoming trials.

Arlene Rivera is a junior at Webutuck High School, a member of the school’s mock trial team and a budding journalist.