(November 22, 2002) -- Clark’s prosecution team lost round two against Woodrow Wilson High School Nov. 12 in the mock trial competition at the Los Angeles County Courthouse. The team lost by a margin of 51% to 49%. The defense team competed against top ranked Gabrielino High School in round one Nov. 4, losing with 46% of the total points. As a result, the team lost the chance to advance to the next round.

Team advisor Melanie Martin said that her team should have won the case against Wilson High. Freshman Ross Nelson said, “I think we should have won because we were more prepared than the other team. The whole crying of the client probably bought them some points from the judge.” During the trial, the defendant cried in front of the judge while being accused of murdering her classmate.

The trial lasted from 5:30 to 8 p.m.. When it was over, many people told each other how nervous they were. Sophomore John Reyes said he was nervous but confident. Martin said, “I think we did a good job, but more practice would have been better.”

The mock trial team practiced from 3-5 p.m. every Tuesday and Thursday for about a month prior to the competition.

They studied the fictional case materials and then practiced their roles such as lawyers and witnesses. The case focused on a 17-year old girl who was accused of murdering a student who caught her cheating on a test.

The mock trial program was first introduced to all counties in California by the Constitutional Rights Foundation in 1980. It was created to help students acquire a working knowledge of the U.S. judicial system.

The program now has 36 California counties with 62 high schools and 32 middle schools participating in L.A. County. Clark’s mock trial team has participated in the competition since 1999 and included 19 members this year.