NPHS Mock Trial teams go to the courthouse
The Newbury Park High School Mock Trial Gold and Panther teams competed in the 42nd annual Mock Trial this week at the Ventura County Courthouse. The two NPHS teams competed against other schools in the county, where teams take on one side of a court case and take on the roles of attorneys and witnesses.
Mina Nguyen, senior and president of Mock Trial, describes her role as the president of the club. “I lead the team by planning our meetings, and try to immerse everyone into a welcoming environment. I’m also a constitutional attorney so I have to analyze the case book more in depth and create questions,” Mina Nguyen said.
The teams get matched up against other schools, one as prosecution and one as defense, where scoring determines who moves on to the next round. Kusa Nguyen, sophomore, recognizes his importance as an attorney on the Gold team. “I present the opening statement, which is the overview of what’s going to happen during the case. I also ask witnesses questions to try to persuade the judge for our side,” Kusa Nguyen said.
Mina Nguyen discusses the environment created by the members of Mock Trial: “I like how we all have our differences yet share a common goal and everyone is willing to spend five hours outside of school working on Mock Trial,” Mina Nguyen said.
Maria Ponce, a special education teacher, is the advisor for the Mock Trial teams, and is amazed at what the team is able to do. “I believe that both teams have a good chance to do well. The prosecution attorneys on the Gold team are amazing. I can never do what they do, memorizing everything, while still staying on top of their schoolwork,” Ponce said.
Though initially nervous and uncertain, the team’s performance exceeded their expectations and they became more relaxed and confident. “Everyone was definitely tense, but after we began to get into the groove of it, it became more playful and we became more supportive of each other than I’ve ever seen,” Mina Nguyen said. Though they lost in the semifinals, they are nonetheless proud of what they have achieved, especially since they had a lot of newcomers on the team.
