Current Events

Senior Mock Trial Team takes second in State for the second year in a row

Mary Earp
March 23, 2012

For the second year in a row, the Senior Mock Trial Team swept away the competition when it took second in State last weekend at the Federal Courthouse in Portland. Though hoping to win first, the team was still very happy with the outcome.

“We are all so proud of the final round, no matter what the outcome was,” Emily Axelrod, senior, said. “Taking second in State two years in a row means that we’re going out with a bang.”

According to Matt Kellogg, coach, though the team performed well, he thought it should have gotten first.

“Overall, I thought we did incredibly well, but we were obviously frustrated with the end result,” Kellogg said.

The state competition consisted of three trials, and an additional round for the top two teams. According to Axelrod, the team was nervous that it would not make it into the final round. When they qualified and faced off against Jesuit, she was surprised that they did not take first.

“I had complete confidence in us, but I was definitely nervous that we wouldn’t get to the final round,” Axelrod said. “And it was a really close round. So honestly I was a little surprised with the outcome.”

Two of the three teams that West Linn faced prior to the finals ended up in the top four, showing the difficulty of the competition. Jesuit took first place, followed by West Linn in second, West Salem in third, and Village Home Resource Center in fourth.

According to Axelrod, the team was able to accomplish as much as it did because of attending the International Competition Empire earlier this year in New York. Kellogg agreed, and sees the New York trip as the highlight of the season.

“New York was my favorite part of the season,” Axelrod said. “It was honestly such an amazing experience, and we all improved so much.”

Over the two years that the team has been together, the members have grown very close and have developed traditions for before and after every trial, according to Axelrod.

“We always get in a huddle to just talk and pump ourselves up and stuff before a trial,” Axelrod said. “We do the same things afterwards too, and I think that it has helped us a lot.”

At the State competition, one individual from every team was recognized for their outstanding performance. For the first three rounds in which West Linn competed, Hannah Beth Gilbert, Elena Myre and Ailish Duff, seniors, were recognized for their work as attorneys.

According to Kellogg, the goal for next year is domination.

Donate to wlhsNOW

$135

$500

Contributed

Our Goal

Your donation will support the student journalists of West Linn High School. Your contribution will allow us to continue to produce quality content by purchasing equipment, software, and continuing to host our website on School Newspapers Online (SNO).

About the Contributor

Mary Earp, Co Editor-in-chief

Perfectionist, outgoing and busy are just three of the many words that describe Mary Earp, senior. Earp heard about Amplifier from her eighth grade English teacher, and has been a part of the staff since her freshman year. Currently, she is one of the three Co-Editors-in-chiefs of the paper. Most people have goals that they would like to pursue in their life, and this is a true statement for Earp as well. “I want to be a doctor, and I know this sounds cheesy, but I would really like to make a difference in the world,” Earp said. After high school, her hopes include attending either Pomona College or University of California, Berkeley. Outside of school, Earp has a very hectic life which includes playing co-ed soccer, being a member of the school Mock Trial team and being the President of National Honor Society. She is traveling to New York in late October for an international Mock Trial Competition, Empire, where she is assigned to present the closing argument and both direct and cross examinations for the trial. Some highlights of Earp’s summer were hanging out with friends and taking a vacation to North Carolina, where she visited family and spent some time at the warm sunny beach. If Earp could visit any place two places in the world, she would choose “Italy and Machu Picchu, Peru, because the scenery is beautiful,” Earp said. Her favorite year in high school so far was junior year. “It challenged me the most and broadened my horizons,” Earp said. So far in her senior year, the class Earp most enjoys is AP Environmental Science, “It’s very interesting, enlightening, and I have a great teacher,” Earp said. Earp’s senior year is packed with AP Environmental Science, AP Calculus BC and AP English, leaving her with a long night of work to complete. The most challenging part of taking these classes “is all of the work involved,” Earp said. So far, her last year in high school has been hectic and full of work, yet she is excited and looking forward to all of the opportunities that lie ahead in her future.