The Mendham Mock Trial met with much success this season, having won the Morris County Mock Trial Competition for 21 consecutive years, the county championships, and advancing to the state tournament. Though Mendham Mock met with an unfortunate loss to Princeton Day School in the state finals, they still had a triumphant season overall.
Mendham Mock Trial advisor and history teacher Mr. Heditsch was very content with this season, and especially all of the efforts made by the team. He added, “The team was very hardworking and very successful.” Though their preparation process looked different this year due to Mr. Heditsch’s absence from November to January, the team showed great leadership and collaboration in preparing for their trials. Mr. Heditsch said, “It’s just a testament to the kids.” The team’s attorney coach, Mr. Connelly, was also present almost every day, helping to set the groundwork and make improvements to the team’s performance.
Throughout their trials, Mendham Mock Trial-ers continued to have a very strong analysis of the case. “We have students who are very detail-oriented,” Mr. Heditsch added. The students have excellent collaborative and decision-making skills, which are crucial to making a good case. After they mastered their basic legal skills, their preparation also taught them to know the case, react to occurrences during the trial, and predict the outcome of the case.
Tess Kutlu, an attorney and second-year Mendham Mock Trial-er, described, “I am proud of this season.” Due to Mr. Heditsch’s leave, Tess, along with the other two attorneys, Nathan Acheampong and Anthony Khakhiashvili, began planning based on their procedures from the previous year to teach the new members the ropes. The three attorneys demonstrated great leadership in Mr. Heditsch’s absence, which definitely aided in their success. The team remained consistent in practicing. Tess added, “When we weren’t forced to be there, we would always stay late, we would always try, and just do the most we could.”
The attorneys wrote the directs and crosses of each witness, as well as the questionings between the witnesses and attorneys. Then, the witnesses were given time to memorize and practice them early on in the process. These crosses are meant as attacks directed at the other witnesses, so by practicing, the team was able to determine their strongest points of attack. Their efforts were very collaborative, as they relied on each other for improvement.
When asked about how the team has grown this season, Tess mentioned, “We became very reliant on each other, and it was just a lot of collaboration overall.” The way the team supported each other was quite apparent, considering their success. They won the Morris County Mock Trial Championship for the 21st consecutive year, the county championships, and advanced to the state tournament as a result of their impeccable leadership and collaboration. The team hopes to welcome new members next year and is excited to see what the next season will bring.
