HARRISBURG – Beginning Jan. 25, 341 teams from 287 high schools across Pennsylvania will be competing in district and regional levels of the Statewide Mock Trial Competition sponsored by the Pennsylvania Bar Association Young Lawyers Division.
Pennsylvania’s mock trial program, now in its 27th year, is one of the largest in the nation. The number of participating teams this year is the highest in the history of the Pennsylvania competition, said Timothy S. Burns of Johnstown, chair of the association’s Young Lawyers Division.
“In high schools across the state, the mock trial competition is one of the much-anticipated academic events of the school year, and students understand that substantial skills are needed to advance to the higher levels of competition,” said Burns. “We thank the hundreds of teachers and lawyers who voluntarily stepped forward to provide participating students with working knowledge about our justice system, successful dispute resolution techniques as well as valuable presentation and critical-thinking skills.”
Through the competition, eight-member student teams are given the opportunity to argue both sides of the case in an actual courtroom before a judge. The students, who play the roles of lawyers, witnesses, plaintiffs and defendants, are assisted by teacher coaches and lawyer advisors in preparing for competition. Lawyers and community leaders serve as jurors for the mock trials. The juries determine the winners in each trial based on the teams’ abilities to prepare their cases, present arguments and follow court rules.
The district and regional levels of the competition will continue throughout February and March. At the conclusion of the local competitions, 12 high school mock trial teams will advance to the Pennsylvania Bar Association Statewide Mock Trial Championships, March 26 and 27, in Harrisburg. The winning team of the state championship will represent Pennsylvania in the national mock trial finals to be held in late spring in Philadelphia.
The Pennsylvania Cable Network will record the final round of the competition for later airing statewide. Scheduling information will be posted on the network’s Web site. The Pennsylvania Bar Foundation, the charitable affiliate of the Pennsylvania Bar Association, will provide funding support for the broadcast.
Co-chairs of the Mock Trial Executive Committee are Ryan Blazure of Kingston and Traci L. Naugle of Altoona. This year’s hypothetical trial case, which focuses on the murder of a financial analyst employed by a Philadelphia investment firm, was written by Jonathan A. Grode of Philadelphia. Jane E. Meyer of Harrisburg, a prior chairperson of the PBA/YLD Mock Trial Committee and current member of the National High School Mock Trial Championship Board of Directors, edited the final version of the case in collaboration with Grode and Paul W. Kaufman of Philadelphia.
For more information about the 2010 Pennsylvania Bar Association Statewide Mock Trial Championships and to read this year’s case, go to the Young Lawyers Division’s section of the PBA Web site at http://www.pabar.org. Interested volunteers should contact Maria Engles of the Pennsylvania Bar Association at 800-932-0311, Ext. 2223.
Drexel University is the proud partner of the PBA’s statewide mock trial program and is the leadership sponsor of the 2010 National High School Mock Trial Championship, which will be held in Philadelphia, May 6-9, 2010.
Founded in 1895, the Pennsylvania Bar Association strives to promote justice, professional excellence and respect for the law; improve public understanding of the legal system; facilitate access to legal services; and serve the 29,000 lawyers who are members of the association.
Teams participating in the 2010 Statewide Mock Trial Competition are from the following schools:
REGION 1 – Allegheny
Baldwin High School
Career Connections Charter High School
Chartiers Valley High School
City Charter High School
Eden Christian Academy
Elizabeth Forward High School
Gateway High School
Hillel Academy (two teams)
McKeesport High School
Montour High School
Mt. Lebanon High School
North Allegheny Senior High School
Pine-Richland High School
Pittsburgh Millions 6-12 University Preparatory School Quaker Valley High School Saint Joseph High School (two teams) Schenley High School Seton-LaSalle High School Sewickley Academy Shady Side Academy Shaler Area High School South Fayette Township High School Springdale Jr./Sr. High School Taylor Allderdice High School (three teams) Thomas Jefferson High School Upper St. Clair High School West Mifflin High School Winchester Thurston School Woodland Hills High School
REGION 2 – NORTHWEST PA
District 1: Armstrong, Beaver, Butler, Lawrence Ambridge Area High School Beaver Area High School (three teams) Blackhawk High School Butler Area High School (two teams) Freeport High School Hopewell High School Laurel High School Moniteau Jr/Sr. High School New Brighton Area Senior High School New Castle Area High School Quigley Catholic High School Riverside High School Seneca Valley Intermediate High School Seneca Valley Senior High School Slippery Rock Area High School
District 2: Clarion, Crawford, Erie, Forest, Mercer, Venango, Warren Fort LeBoeuf High School (two teams) Learning Enrichment Center/Eisenhower High School Northwest Pennsylvania Collegiate Academy (two teams) Northwestern High School (two teams) Sheffield Area Middle Senior High School (two teams) Warren Area High School
REGION 3 – SOUTHWEST PA
District 1: Westmoreland
Belle Vernon Area High School
Franklin Regional Senior High School
Greater Latrobe Sr. High School
Greensburg Salem High School
Hempfield Area High School
Kiski Area High School
Mt. Pleasant Area High School
Penn Trafford High School
Southmoreland High School
Valley High School
District 2: Greene, Fayette, Washington Avella High School Canon-McMillan High School Carmichaels Area Jr/Sr High School Charleroi Area High School Chartiers-Houston High School Connellsville Area Senior High School Fort Cherry High School Frazier High School Jefferson Morgan High School Laurel Highlands High School Peters Township High School Ringgold High School Trinity High School (three teams) Washington High School West Greene High School
District 3: Bedford, Blair, Cambria, Fulton, Huntingdon, Jefferson, Indiana, Mifflin, Somerset Altoona Area High School (two teams) Bellwood-Antis High School Bishop Guilfoyle Catholic High School Brockway Area Jr/Sr High School Brookville Area High School Central Cambria High School Central High School DuBois Central Catholic High School Forest Hills High School Hollidaysburg Area Senior High School Indiana Area Senior High School Punxsutawney Area High School Richland Senior High School Tyrone Area High School United High School
REGION 4 – NORTHCENTRAL PA
District 1: Centre, Clearfield, Clinton
Bald Eagle Area High School
Bellefonte Area High School
Grace Preparatory High School
State College Area High School (two teams)
District 2: Union, Columbia, Lycoming, Montour, Northumberland, Snyder, Tioga Jersey Shore High School Montoursville High School Wellsboro Area High School Williamson Jr./Sr. High School
District 3: Cameron, Elk, McKean, Potter Cameron County High School Coudersport Jr./Sr. High School Kane Area High School Oswayo Valley High School Ridgway Area High School Saint Mary’s Area High School Seneca Highlands IU9 Smethport Area High School
REGION 5 – NORTHEAST PA
District 1: Berks, Carbon, Lehigh, Northampton, SchuylkillAllentown Central Catholic High School Antietam Middle-Senior High School Bethlehem Catholic High School Blue Mountain High School Boyertown High School (two teams) Conrad Weiser High School Easton Area High School Emmaus High School Exeter Twp. Senior High School Fleetwood Area High School Governor Mifflin High School Liberty High School Marian Catholic High School Nativity BVM High School Northampton High School Notre Dame High School Palmerton Area High School Parkland High School (two teams) Pen Argyl Area High School Pine Grove Area School District Saucon Valley High School Schuylkill Valley High School Southern Lehigh High School
District 2: Luzerne
Dallas Senior High School
Hanover Area Jr./Sr. High School
Hazleton Area High School
Holy Redeemer High School
MMI Preparatory School
Tunkhannock Area High School
Wyoming Seminary
District 3: Bradford, Lackawanna, Sullivan, Susquehanna, Wayne, WyomingAbington Heights High School Carbondale Area High School Dunmore High School Holy Cross High School Honesdale High School Lakeland High School Mid Valley High School North Pocono High School Saint Rose Academy Scranton High School Scranton Preparatory School Valley View High School West Scranton High School Western Wayne High School
District 4: Monroe, PikeDelaware Valley High School East Stroudsburg High School – North East Stroudsburg High School – South Notre Dame High School Pleasant Valley High School Pocono Mountain East High School Pocono Mountain West High School Stroudsburg High School (two teams) Wallenpaupack Area High School
REGION 6 – SOUTHCENTRAL PA
District 1: Cumberland, Dauphin, Franklin, Juniata, Lebanon, Perry Bishop McDevitt High School Carlisle High School Central Dauphin High School Cumberland Valley Christian School Cumberland Valley High School (two teams) Milton Hershey School SciTech High School Susquehanna Township High School Trinity High School West Perry High School
District 2: Adams, York
Eastern York High School
Kennard-Dale High School
Littlestown High School
New Hope Academy Charter School
Northeastern High School
Northern York County Senior High School
Red Lion Senior High School
Spring Grove High School (two teams)
West York Area High School
William Penn Senior High School
York Catholic High School
York Country Day School
District 3: Lancaster
Cocalico High School
Conestoga Valley High School
J.P. McCaskey High School (two teams)
Lancaster Catholic High School
Penn Manor High School
Warwick High School
REGION 7 – SOUTHEAST PA
District 1: ChesterB. Reed Henderson High School (three teams) Bayard Rustin High School (two teams) Bishop Shanahan High School (two teams) CCHS High School Team Devon Preparatory School Downingtown Area High School – West Great Valley High School Kennett High School (two teams) Malvern Preparatory School Phoenixville Area High School (two teams) Villa Maria Academy High School West Chester East High School
District 2: DelawareArchbishop John Carroll High School (two teams) Academy of Notre Dame de Namur (two teams) Archbishop Prendergast High School Cardinal O’Hara High School Delaware County Christian High School Merion Mercy Academy Monsignor Bonner High School Penn Wood High School – Cypress Campus (two teams) Ridley High School (three teams) Strath Haven School The Episcopal Academy (two teams) Upper Darby High School
District 3: Bucks
Archbishop Wood High School (two teams) Bensalem High School Bristol High School Central Bucks East High School Central Bucks South High School (two teams) Holy Ghost Preparatory School (three teams) Neshaminy High School New Hope-Solebury High School Pennridge High School Plumstead Christian School Quakertown Community Freshman Center Solebury School Villa Joseph Marie High School William Tennent High School (two teams)
REGION 8 – Philadelphia
A. Philip Randolph Career & Technical Academy Audenried High School Benjamin Franklin High School Navy JROTC Boys’ Latin of Philadelphia Charter School CAPA Carver High School of Engineering & Science High School (two teams) Central High School Chestnut Hill Academy Constitution High School (two teams) Delaware Valley Charter High School Father Judge High School Frankford High School Franklin Learning Center Franklin Towne Charter High School Friends Select School Germantown High School Imhotep Institute Charter High School J.R. Masterman High School John Bartram High School Little Flower Catholic High School for Girls Nazareth Academy High School (two teams) New Media Technology Charter School Northeast High School Olney West High School Overbrook High School Paul Robeson High School Philadelphia Academy Charter School Philadelphia Mennonite High School Philadelphia Military Academy at Leeds Roman Catholic High School (three teams) Saint Joseph’s Preparatory School (two teams) Samuel S. Fels High School Springside School Ss. John Neumann & Maria Goretti High School Strawberry Mansion High School The Mathematic, Civics & Sciences Charter School University City High School West Philadelphia Catholic High School West Philadelphia High School William Penn Charter School (two teams) William Penn High School William W. Bodine High School for International Affairs World Communications Charter School
REGION 9 – Montgomery
Abington Senior High School
Friends Central School (two teams)
Germantown Academy (two teams)
Gwynedd Mercy Academy High School
Harriton High School
Jack M. Barrack Hebrew Academy
Lower Merion High School
Lower Moreland High School (two teams)
Methacton High School (two teams)
Mount Saint Joseph Academy (two teams)
Norristown Area High School
North Penn High School
Philadelphia-Montgomery Christian Academy (two teams) Plymouth Whitemarsh High School (two teams) Pottsgrove High School The Baldwin School The Haverford School (two teams) Upper Dublin High School (two teams) Wissahickon High School