Pinecrest Academy’s Mock Trial team will travel to Dalton, Georgia, on Feb.28 to compete in the District Level Mock Trial Competition. The Team won every round of their Regional Competitions, held in Cartersville, Georgia, on Saturday, Feb. 7. The Competition started at 9:00am and the final round ended at 7:00pm. Pinecrest defeated Adairsville High School, Cartersville High School, Cass High School, Cherokee High School, Pepperell High School, Pope High School, and Woodland High School to become the Mock Trial Regional Champions.
Mock Trial competition events are sponsored by the Georgia Bar Association, and students are judged by approximately 24 local attorneys, sitting judges, and other legal professionals. Criteria on which they are judged includes their knowledge of court procedure, rules of evidence, knowledge of facts of the case, knowledge of the law as it pertains to the facts, and oratory performance. The Pinecrest team has been preparing for the competition two nights per week since October 2014.
During the six rounds of the Regional competition, Pinecrest students earned ten special recognition awards:
Maria Andrade earned an award for “Best Attorney.”
Maddie Brabrook earned two awards for “Best Attorney.”
Clay Childress earned an award for “Best Attorney” and an award for “Four Years Participation.”
Danielle Miller earned two awards for “Best Witness.”
Andy Rodriguez earned two awards for “Best Witness.”
Adisson Maalouf earned special recognition and an award for “Four Years Participation.”
“I’m incredibly proud of this team, and it’s rewarding to watch how hard the students try and how much they improve their performance each year. I appreciate all the attorney coaches that help put the case strategy together and for working with students to create a winning team,” said Bill Donlon, Pinecrest Academy Mock Trial Teacher Coach. “Students are not judged on whether they win or lose the case, but on their arguments, performances and adherence to court rules. The judges consider how well the participants know the facts and how well they understand how the facts pertain to the applicable law,” he continued. “Many of these students feel that the Mock Trial Competition is the most valuable experience they have throughout their high school years, as it gives them an opportunity to learn what it is like to be an attorney and a chance to improve their public speaking skills.”
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