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| MOCK TRIAL TEAM GOLD: Freshmen Peter Wesen and Victoria Baioni; juniors Hayden Bell and William Seeds; freshman Bailey Rice; and sophomore Mallory Sah.
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MOCK TRIAL TEAM BLUE: Juniors Rylee Yackin, Madison Rogers, and Connor Marrott; seniors Pierce Thomas and Emily Callahan; freshmen Contessa Wilson and Brian Bates; and junior Veronica Mekhel.
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After sweeping the district competition at the Lake County Courthouse on Friday, two NDCL mock trial teams will compete in the regional trials on February 7. This marks the fifth consecutive year that the Lions have advanced to regionals.
When the gavels fell after a series of morning and afternoon trials, our students won eight individual awards:
- Best attorneys: Seniors Emily Callahan and Pierce Thomas, junior William Seeds, and freshman Bailey Rice
- Best witnesses: Juniors Madison Rogers and William Seeds, freshmen Peter Wesen and Contessa Wilson
Each year mock trial teams throughout the state focus on a single case for district, regional, and state competition. This year's case involves a suit brought against a school district by a student claiming an unconstitutional violation of his First Amendment rights after his principal disciplined him for leading a march in support of individual gun ownership.
The Lions owe much of their success to the expert advice provided by their dedicated and generous volunteer legal advisors, including Mr. Martin Delahunty; Judge Carolyn Paschke, mother of senior Garrett Sah and sophomore Mallory Sah; Mrs. Kimberly Baioni, mother of freshman Victoria; and Mr. Donovan DeLuca '05 and Mr. Nick Burling '01 from the Geauga County Prosecutor's Office.
Special thanks to Judge Terri Stupica, Magistrate Bruce Smalheer, Judge Michael Shaughnessy, and Judge Deena Calabrese '88, who officiated scrimmages for the teams. Briana Cowman ’18, a current member of the mock trial team at Miami University, also helped the teams during her winter break.
English teacher Ms. Victoria Frabotta '86, Social Studies Department Chairperson Mrs. Molly Schneider, and social studies teacher Mr. Ross Martin advise NDCL's mock trial teams.