For the first time in program history, Davie High Mock Trial emerged triumphant at the Regional Mock Trial competition Saturday at the Guilford County Courthouse in High Point. Davie fielded two teams—Davie Black and Davie Orange—with Davie Black securing a unanimous victory. This win will send the team to the state competition in Raleigh for its first in-person appearance.
While this year’s regional win is a first for Davie, the team has competed at the state level once before. During the 2020-2021 Davie Mock Trial term, the club competed entirely online. Davie was initially announced as the winner before learning the regional director had named the wrong team. In reality, they had actually lost by one point.
Despite this, the team received an at-large bid to still compete at the state level. There, the team proved their inclusion was not a mistake as they claimed the championship and later competed at the national level.
This year, the results were clear. No asterisk. No last-minute reversals. Davie Mock Trial won regionals outright. Despite this, there was still hesitation among some team members when the win was first announced.
“I thought that they said our name by mistake or something,” senior Noah Harper, a four-year Davie Black member, said. “Someone on our team screamed the most high-pitched squeal, and that’s when it kind of sunk in that I’d won, and I was incredibly—kind of in shock.”
Harper served as a witness for the competition, ultimately bringing home the Star Witness award for his performance. While Harper has taken home these accolades in the past, it is not something he always expects to earn.
“When I go to mock trial competition, I’ve won a couple, but we have some really good witnesses,” Harper said. “So whether or not I win, I’m not surprised. And if I don’t win, I’m also not surprised. It’s ‘I’m happy either way.’”
Similar to the club’s 2020-2021 term, the team members were limited in their ability to meet in person. Shortly before Regionals, North Carolina was hit by winter weather conditions. This made it impossible for the team to prepare in person, leading them to practice via Google Meet, a familiar environment for club advisor Tani Caudle.
“For us to practice on screens, it was kind of in my wheelhouse, but it wasn’t necessarily for my students,” Caudle said. “But yet they caught on pretty quickly.”
Senior Precious Jimerson, a four-year Davie Black member, acclimated to the winter weather quickly, mentoring both teams through remote rehearsals. She often helps all members, regardless of their team, earning the respect from her teammates. Having spent her high school career on the team, Jimerson has gained a great deal of insight into what makes for a standout performance. To Jimerson, making a good first impression is crucial to surviving the courtroom. She believes that an attorney needs to project confidence to show professionalism.
“It sets the tone truly,” Jimerson said. “First impressions are everything, and the way you carry yourself, whether you’re nervous or not, is what makes all the difference.”
In addition to the mentorship of upperclassmen, students often turn to their team’s advisors as they work on being more confident and articulate in the courtroom setting. Caudle and co-advisor Renee Lamb facilitate practices, watching over the team and helping students fine tune their performances.
“I give them feedback, critical feedback, because to grow, we have to know what’s wrong,” Caudle said. “We also work with Judge Carlton Terry—who is a judge—and he mentors us. And some years, we also work with Wendy Terry, whose his wife is a lawyer in the area as well. Both of them give us a lot of assistance on some of the things that Ms. Lamb and I struggle with within the technical elements of the law.”
Caudle mentions how this year the club has struggled with inconsistent participation with some students. With many of the team being new to their roles, it became necessary for the more experienced members to step in.
“But what I noticed is Davie Black, supported and filled in the gaps to help the people in Davie Orange who were new to these roles,” Caudle said. “And because of it, it kind of strengthened everybody—everyone became stronger. I started seeing people emerge as leaders who hadn’t been in the past because they were reaching out to help.”
The members of Davie Black now turn their focus to the State finals in Raleigh at Campbell Law School, March 13-14, channeling their victory as motivation for success at the state competition.
