Mock Trial team members see their efforts from summer 2020 to now come together with virtual competitions held Feb. 2-11. The persistence and commitment of each member amid the COVID-19 pandemic and the adaptability the team has shown in the face of unique challenges created a unified confidence in the team’s ability to  succeed this season. 

This year, the case features an individual on trial for being a suspect of a home-invasion robbery. The crimes for each year change to reflect current issues and center on a murder every other year.

“Mock Trial is one of those things that, typically, everyone in the team is very passionate about, and being online, it’s very difficult to find that same passion because you’re not in that same environment,” Mock Trial president and senior Sonia Goyal said.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, courthouses are now Zoom rooms, and teams compete against each other virtually. However, under the leadership and guidance of Goyal and vice president and junior Charlotte Cao, even new members, like freshman Tyler Kim, feel optimistic and well prepared for their performance in upcoming competitions. 

“We have a very incredible group of people leading,” Kim said. “I’m a freshman, but even though they’re only a few years older than me, they just feel like such remarkable people because they’re so confident in what they do.”

Mock Trial is a competitive team in which students prepare arguments and witnesses for trial on both the prosecution and defense side of a fictional court case. The club was first established at Portola High in 2016 with a team of 16 and has since grown to 22, with members chosen through tryouts in spring and fall.

Leading up to competition season, the team worked together for at least two hours every week through Zoom meetings and invested time into weekend scrimmages. During practice, attorneys and witnesses met to discuss direct and cross-examination questions while pre-trial attorneys developed skills needed to defend their arguments in front of a judge.

“I think what is unique about Mock Trial is the passion, the dedication and the determination of everyone that’s involved in Mock Trial,” adviser Kathryn Beechinor said. “All of the students, they see Mock Trial as something that can help them in whatever career field they’re going.”