When Davie High’s Mock Trial Team stepped onto the campus of Campbell Law School for the state Mock Trial competition, it marked a milestone for a program that has been no stranger to dealing with curveballs. This was not the first time Davie fielded a team at the state level, but it was the first in program history to follow a decisive victory at the regional competition and marked its debut in-person appearance.
In 2021, the Mock Trial team made it to states, but only after a mix-up during the announcement of the winning teams, which led to an at-large bid to compete anyway. That team ultimately went on to win the state competition. This year’s team, however, faced a competition that looked different from their predecessors.
The last time Davie made it to the state level, they were restricted to virtual competition due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Mock Trial advisor Tani Caudle recalled seeing her team at Davie High, sitting at computers and in different classrooms. This time, the team got to see the competition face-to-face.
“We had a lot more access to a lot more lawyers and judges,” Caudle said. “We weren’t just looking at them on a screen because it’s real lawyers and judges who preside and are the jury members in our trials. And so they got to interact a little bit more with them and ask questions at the end of rounds, which was really neat for us too, that’s to kind of have access to that caliber of people.”
The two-day event was split into three rounds: Round 1 on Friday and Rounds 2 and 3 on Saturday. Each team represented prosecution or defense, and all teams were given the same fictional case to study thoroughly. This year’s case was a standout as it concerned medical malpractice. The team had to be creative to navigate the medical jargon and redirect their approach.
“They have to study so many different parts of the law, just to be prepared for any possible objection that could come our way,” Caudle said. “Our students never fail to have something to say every single time.”
The team had spent considerable time preparing, cramming, and studying their case before the competition.
“One thing we really looked into was the rules of competition,” Renee Lamb, fellow team advisor, said. “And we used those rules of competition to help us keep out evidence that was harmful to our side of the case.”
While Davie did not win any of their rounds, Caudle thought coming out of each round, “it could go either way.” Additionally, there were a few standout performances on the Davie team. Senior Noah Harper won a Star Witness award, which Harper found particularly special because it is given by the opposing team.
“I tend to do pretty well with the Star Awards categories ‘cause other teams usually like me,” Harper said.
Harper has been part of Mock Trial for four years and is a part of the Davie High drama department, which aids him in his witness roles.
“You’re given a document that contains your character’s version of what happened in the case, what they know, what they are trying to tell the world, essentially,” Harper said. “And you have to memorize that and create a character for yourself. When you read that document, the character that you saw, you have to try and do your best to present that on the stand.”
Although the team did not replicate its regional success, participation at the state level is certainly a significant breakthrough. This year, the team made it this far not by a misunderstanding but because of its own merits, an achievement that will set a new standard for future teams.
