Legal Lions qualify for state competition

COLUMBUS-BOUND: Members of our Legal Lions Mock Trial Team celebrate Friday's regional victory as they look forward to state competition in Columbus in early March. The team includes legal adviser Mr. Martin Delahunty (left); Social Studies Department Chair and adviser Mrs. Molly Schneider; English teacher and adviser Ms. Victoria Frabotta; juniors Hannah Taylor and Tad Brennan; sophomore Pierce Thomas; seniors Briana Cowman and Antonia Mysyk; junior Carter Callender; and legal adviser Mr. Ryan Callender.

For the third consecutive year, NDCL's Mock Trial Team has advanced to the Ohio Mock Trial State Competition. 

The return trip to the state capital comes after the Lions won both trials in regional competition at the Lake County Courthouse on Friday. NDCL's prosecution beat Mentor High School, and the Lions' defense won its case against Perry High School.

Judges named senior Antonia Mysyk as the best attorney in both trials. Junior Hannah Taylor won the best witness award in the trial against Mentor.

The Lions will now prepare to compete on March 8-9 at the Franklin County Courthouse. The state finals will be argued in the Ohio Statehouse on March 10.

Team members owe much of their success to the expert advice provided by their dedicated and generous volunteer legal advisors, including Mr. Martin Delahunty, father of Jackie '16 and John '17; Mr. Ryan Callender, father of junior Carter; Geauga County Common Pleas Judge Carolyn Paschke, mother of sophomore Garrett Sah; Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Judge Michael Shaughnessy, father of Megan '12 and senior Katie; and Geauga County Assistant Prosecuting Attorneys Mr. Donovan DeLuca '05 and Mr. Nick Burling '01.

To help the team prepare for regional competition, Judges Paschke and Shaughnessy presided at a scrimmage at NDCL against Orange High School. Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Judge Deena Calabrese ’89 also spent an afternoon with the Lions to provide valuable feedback.
   
English teacher Ms. Victoria Frabotta '86 and Social Studies Department Chairperson Mrs. Molly Schneider advise the team, which last year finished as state runner-up and then went on to represent Ohio in the national competition after state champion Indian Hill High School withdrew.

For more information on Ohio's mock trial competition, visit the website of the Ohio Center for Law-Related Education, where you can watch a video capsule of the fictional legal case for this year's trials.