This weekend, the Melrose-Mindoro High School Mock Trial Team is headed to the State tournament after placing second at the Regional competition in La Crosse on February 4th. The team is anchored by four seniors who have been with the program since their freshman year: Maya Sbraggia, Rachel Frederick, Megan Oehler, and Adam Heimdahl. They are coached by MMHS teacher Jeff Woodward and Jackson County District Attorney Emily Hynek. This year marks the first return to State since 2018, and will be their third trip since the program began in 2015.
Other team members are: Isabel “Ray” Jimenez, Viola Finch, Aubrey Finch, Brianna Baker, Cadence Holliday, Isabella Quilty, Devin Quilty, and Maria Gonzalez. Team alternates are Lily Potter and Paige Spors.
Mock Trial competitions consist of two teams each portraying a different side in a trial. Each team provides three attorneys and three witnesses (all students) to present a case that has been created by the State Bar of Wisconsin. The participants are expected to have a thorough understanding of the fact patterns, understand court procedures, make legal arguments, and portray their characters in a convincing manner. This year, the case created by the State Bar involves a homicide charge brought against a recent high school student who may or may not have pushed their “frenemy” off a cliff in fictional Clearwater, Wisconsin, during their senior trip.
The Mock Trial team would like to thank their families and the Melrose-Mindoro School District for their support of the participants and the program.
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