The 2023-24 Clarke Central High School Mock Trial team poses for a photo at the State Finals Competition at the Gwinnett Justice & Administration Center in Lawrenceville, Georgia, on March 22 and 23. The team placed eighth out of 137 high school teams across the state. “I’d just like to reiterate how proud I am of the young members of our team who stepped up this season, as well as the great leadership of the other seniors that made this season possible,” Mock Trial Attorney Wilson Griffeth, a senior, said. “I would also like to thank our attorney coaches Ken Mauldin, Ross Massey and Phillip Griffeth, as well as our wonderful teacher coaches Mr. (Matthew) Regester and Ms. (Kathy) Erickson, for their continued support of our team.” Photo courtesy of Matthew Regester
The CCHS Mock Trial team placed eighth at the State Finals Competition on March 22 and 23.
The Clarke Central High School Mock Trial team took home an eighth place finish out of 137 high school teams at the State Finals Competition on March 22 and 23.
The competition was held at the Gwinnett Justice & Administration Center in Lawrenceville, Georgia. There, the team participated in three rounds of competition, winning their first two against Columbus High School and St. Andrews School and losing their final one against reigning champion Jonesboro High School.
“Over the last seven months, the team has put in countless hours of practice and study. Only through their hard work and dedication were they able to achieve this measure of success,” Mock Trial coach Matthew Regester wrote in a March 27 newsletter. “Most importantly, the level of personal growth of each student over the course of this season was amazing.”
The Clarke Central High School Mock Trial team poses for a photo in the Gwinnett Justice & Administration Center in Lawrenceville, Georgia, on March 22. The team has worked diligently to place eighth out of 137 schools, and reflect on the season with a bittersweet lens. “It’s both hard to believe that I won’t be competing alongside my teammates any more, but it is also nice to see the culmination of the team’s hard work in our 2 consecutive top-8 finishes statewide. I would tell the younger team members to just stick with it,” Mock Trial Attorney Wilson Griffeth said. “I think so long as our young team members continue putting in the hard work they’ve been doing, our program will continue to be successful after I and the other graduating seniors (Alice, Addisyn, and Troy) are gone.” Photos by Evan Cornish and courtesy of Regester
Alongside the team’s eighth place victory, Mock Trial Attorney Wilson Griffeth, a senior, was one of two CCHS Mock Trial members who won an individual Outstanding Attorney award.
“I’m very pleased to be recognized as an Outstanding Attorney,” Griffeth said. “I’ve been an attorney the past few years and with the help of my coaches and teammates, I feel like my advocacy skills have really improved. I’m happy that the work I and my team have put in was recognized, especially at the state-level.”
Reflecting on the team’s season, Griffeth acknowledged the difficulty of the state competition, but felt gratified by the team’s success over the season.
“I’m very proud of our team’s eighth place finish at the state level. We had a very competitive and tough road to make it to the state competition, so I am proud of my teammates pushing through and improving throughout the season to be competitive at the state competition,” Griffeth said. “We really came together when it mattered most.”
“I’m very proud of our team’s eighth place finish at the state level. We had a very competitive and tough road to make it to the state competition, so I am proud of my teammates pushing through and improving throughout the season to be competitive at the state competition. We really came together when it mattered most.”
— Wilson Griffeth,
Mock Trial Attorney and senior
As the only four-year member of the Mock Trial team and the other CCHS Outstanding Attorney award winner, senior Alice Adams is grateful for the experiences Mock Trial has given her.
“Being on Mock Trial has given me a great group of friends and a great experience that has taught me leadership, organization, and public speaking,” Adams said. “It’s kind of a bittersweet feeling being finished with Mock Trial. Preparing for trial is very stressful and requires a lot of time and commitment, but I really enjoy the trial itself and the competition aspect. Mock Trial has been a big part of my life for the past four years and it’s definitely weird not practicing anymore.”
Story by Maya Clement
Package by Luke Shannon
