Senior and Mock Trial co-captain Grace Mauldin “testifies” in a Mock Trial competition in 2014, during her sophomore year. In 2014, the Mock Trial team competed in the San Francisco Empire competition, placing second out of 24 teams. “(Mock Trial is) a great opportunity to open up and get better at public speaking. It doesn’t sound like it would be very fun with the work that goes in, but doing the work and then getting to the competition is an adrenaline rush and extremely fun,” Mauldin said. Photo courtesy of Empire Mock Trial.
By MACKENZIE CAUDILL – Staff Writer
The Clarke Central High School Mock Trial team will present their first cases of the competition season on Jan. 28.
The Clarke Central High School Mock Trial program, run by English to Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) department teacher Kathy Erickson and Athens District Attorney Ken Mauldin, will compete in the Northeast Georgia Regional competition on Jan. 28.
“If we get top three in this competition we go to district,” senior and co-captain Grace Mauldin said. “This is our first competition of the year so everyone is just trying to finalize everything we’re supposed to have done as lawyers and witnesses.”
The teams meet on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays to prepare their case presentations.
“They’re really busy, but they love Mock Trial too, so we meet two times during the week on Tuesday and Thursday nights,” Erickson said. “On Sunday, we try to meet up in the courtroom to get a feel for the courtroom and actually practice that way. It’s helpful.”
According to Mauldin, the program helps with confidence, public speaking and communication and encourages others to join.
“It’s a great opportunity to open up and get better at public speaking. It doesn’t sound like it would be very fun with the work that goes in, but doing the work and then getting to the competition is an adrenaline rush and is extremely fun,” Mauldin said. “It builds confidence and gives you a feeling of accomplishment.”
Erickson agrees with Mauldin that Mock Trial is beneficial and has witnessed students’ growth in several areas.
“They grow out of their notes really quickly once they get their parts down. They’re super confident and they just speak with elegance and they’re just wonderful,” Erickson said. “This program has done wonders for kids like that, so I think it helps you improve vocabulary, meet new friends, but the public speaking part is huge part of that. It’s great for them.”
Despite the team losing valuable members last year, Mauldin believes they will do well this competition season.
“I think it’s going smoothly. It’s similar to how we’ve worked in the past but also pretty different because we did lose some good members when they graduated last year,” Mauldin said. “We always do pretty well the first competition at region and make it to district and then get better from there as we realize what we need to correct and change.”
