St Rose Of Lima Mock Trial Team Named Runner-Up State Finalists

A team of students, administrators, and coaches from St Rose of Lima School recently competed in the 14th Annual Middle School Mock Trial State Finals Competition, conducted at the State Appellate Court in Hartford.

The St Rose Mock Trial Red Team won the title of Runner Up State Finalists after losing to a team from Our Lady of Mercy School in Madison. They were commended by the presiding Judges Gruendel, Robinson and Beach for their strong performance, critical thinking, and case presentations. St Rose Red Team members Victoria Kirkman, Sophia Davis, Bridget Walsh, Calista Connors, Gabriella DeBartolomeo, Evan Doering, James Barry, and Anna Brubaker, advanced to the state finals after winning the quarterfinal and semifinal competitions in February.

Thanks to lead attorney coach, Tom Davis, St Rose of Lima School has participated in the Mock Trial Program for the past 11 years as one of its many extracurricular activities for students in grades 6–8. The program teaches middle school and high school students the basics of law, trial preparation and procedure from the perspective of the attorney, defendant, plaintiff, and witness in a live mock trial competition.

Parent attorneys, including Mr Davis and Ed Walsh at St Rose, coach sixth through eighth grade students and prepare them to compete in a mock trial on a local and regional level. St Rose teams have successfully advanced to the state semifinals in the last few years, but this year’s team is the first to compete at the state level.

The High School Mock Trial Program, begun in 1976, is sponsored by Civics First. Throughout its history, thousands of students and their teachers have participated in the program. Each year, the program includes more than 700 students from more than 50 Connecticut high schools.

The Middle School Mock Trial Program began in 1997. Over the years participation has grown to over 350 students from more than 35 middle school teams competing.