Menlo News March 25, 2014

Legal Experts = State Champions!

Menlo’s Mock Trial team deftly argued constitutional law and upset the three-time defending champion. What’s next? Nationals!
2014 State Champion Mock Trial team

Winning the Constitutional Rights Foundation California State Competition, the team defeated three-time defending champ La Reina High School from Ventura County, a mark in both Menlo School and mock trial history.

This year’s competition case, People v. Concha, concerns felony counts of second-degree murder and possession for sale of a controlled substance. The pretrial issue centers on the Fourth Amendment protection against unlawful search and seizure.

In the final round, Menlo’s victory was cemented when its prosecution team made a series of objections that overwhelmed La Reina’s opposing defense team and disrupted the flow of its argument. La Reina had placed second at the national tournament last year, but Menlo was unfazed.

“Menlo’s victory was an amazing testament to the unity of the team, led by seniors who supported each other throughout the year. It’s also a testament to the incredible hours of volunteer work that our six coaches put in, as well as the support of the faculty and administration at Menlo,” said Dan Devitt, Menlo teacher and Mock Trial team supervisor. “I’ve worked with high school Mock Trial teams for over 20 years, and this is the first time I’ve had a team reach this level.”

The team now moves on to the national competition in Madision, WI in May. They’ll have to tackle a new case, likely to be a federal civil case.

Menlo’s winning prosecution team, led by Kate Park ’14 (co-captain), consists of Kathryn Hurd ’14, Christina Wadsworth ’14, Andy Parker ’16, Meera Kumar ’14, Chris Crouch ’15, Mackenzie Bressie ’15, Colton Conley ’17 and Jamie Redman ’14.

The defense team, led by Christina Wadsworth ’14 (co-captain), includes Sadie Bronk ’15, Allie Miller ’15, Kate Park ’14, Tara Saha ’14, Annie Kim ’16, Kathryn Hurd ’14, JB Horsley ’15, Lauren Henske ’16 and Samantha Frenkel-Popell ’16.

The team thanks coaches Dan Devitt, Thom Scher and attorney coaches Abby Horrigan, Christine Lagod, David Larson and Fred Harold.

Here’s what it felt like the moment the team learned of their victory!