After several days of fierce courtroom competition, the verdicts are in for the 2011 Gordon D. Schaber Mock Trial and Moot Court Competition. In Sacramento County, Elk Grove High School is the winner of the Mock Trial competition and Bella Vista High School earned top honors in the Moot Court competition.
Rio Americano High School placed second in the Mock Trial competition and C.K. McClatchy High School was runner-up in the Moot Court competition.
The Sacramento County Office of Education (SCOE), which coordinates the event, announced the winners at a special presentation event on March 7. Elk Grove High is now eligible for the California Mock Trial competition which will be held in Riverside, March 25-27. California does not hold a statewide Moot Court competition.
"High school law court programs are excellent extracurricular activities that promote leadership, teamwork, and collaboration. But, most important, they teach you to think on your feet. In life, that is a vital skill," said David W. Gordon, Sacramento County Superintendent of Schools, as he addressed students at the awards ceremony.
Teams from 20 Sacramento County high schools, as well as four teams from El Dorado, Placer and Yolo counties, competed in the 32nd annual event. Volunteers from more than 60 local law firms and other legal organizations served as scoring and presiding judges for the five-day event.
Mock Trial
Sacramento Rankings
- 1st place: Elk Grove High School
- 2nd place: Rio Americano High School
- 3rd place: Sacramento Country Day School
- 4th place: Natomas Pacific Pathways Prep Charter High School
- 5th place: Sheldon High School
- 6th place: Del Campo High School
- 7th place: El Camino Fundamental High School
- 8th place: Laguna Creek High School
Placer County 1st Place: Oakmont High School
Yolo County 1st Place: River City High School
El Dorado County 1st Place: Ponderosa High SchoolSchool Sportsmanship Award: Oakmont High School
Moot Court
1st place: Bella Vista High School (Team 1)
2nd place: C.K. McClatchy High School
3rd place: Rio Americano High School (Team 2)
4th place: Bella Vista High School (Team 2)School Sportsmanship Award: John F. Kennedy High School (Team 2)
The Mock Trial competition simulates a trial-level proceeding in which students portray the roles of pre-trial counsel, prosecuting and defense attorneys, witnesses, court clerks, bailiffs, and jurors before a single presiding judge and two scoring judges. It includes courtroom art and courtroom journalism competitions. The county Mock Trial winner advances to a statewide competition.
The Moot Court competition is an appellate-level proceeding in which students prepare and argue a case before a panel of three judges that evaluates participants on the quality and persuasiveness of their legal reasoning and presentation, as well as their unscripted responses to spontaneous questions from the bench.
The California Mock Trial Competition is sponsored by the Constitutional Rights Foundation (CRF), a non-profit, non-partisan, community-based organization dedicated to educating America's young people about the importance of civic participation in a democratic society.