A robust program, Terra Linda’s mock trial team attracts a variety of students every year, all united by the common interests of public speaking, problem-solving, and learning about the law. Mock trial is an intense and unique extracurricular activity in which students study a mock court case and act as either the prosecution or defense.
For decades, TLHS students have been dedicated to these court cases, extensively practicing from September to February in anticipation of county competitions. Held in the nationally recognized courthouse in the Marin County Civic Center, these county competitions host schools from around Marin County. Each team prepares its argument, its prosecution faces off against another school’s defense, and visa-versa. Each student plays a distinctive part in the trial, filling the role of pre-trial attorney, trial attorney, witness, bailiff, and more.
Junior Bali Simon shared, “Mock trial is about public speaking. It’s about acting. It’s about theater.” Simon credits a lot of her confidence and friendships to Mock Trial, specifically the push it gave her toward joining the drama program. As a pre-trial attorney, Simon loves learning about the cases because of their relevance to her everyday life: “I have to memorize Supreme Court cases and figure out how they apply to our current case. These are cases like Edwards v. Arizona. That’s a case that’s still extremely relevant.” This season, Simon argued for a piece of evidence to be disregarded in the trial due to its violation of the 5th Amendment. “There’s just this moment where the adrenaline builds up right before you talk. And I love that so much. I love sharing glances with my friends in the courtroom, and you really just get this sense of school spirit, which is amazing. There’s nothing better than at the end of the competition when they’re announcing who wins the individual awards and just screaming at the top of your lungs when your friend gets best witness. We all get to share that moment together. I love the community so much,” Simon said.
Junior Meadow McPherson also appreciates the sense of community on the team. The Wednesday practices and weekend scrimmages are a time for her to see her friends while doing something she really enjoys. However, she didn’t expect to love doing it so much when she started. “Last year, when I joined Mock Trial, it was really out of the blue and random. I didn’t know what to expect and was a very different person before I joined. I really found myself over the course of the season. I owe a lot of my confidence and friendships to [mock trial].”
If you’re looking for an academic challenge that comes with a welcoming community, consider joining the Mock Trial team at Terra Linda. Both McPherson and Simon enthusiastically endorse the activity, with McPherson noting how “students who want to build public speaking skill and confidence…” would improve over the season, and Simon boasting the team’s reputation. “Terra Linda consistently has been one of the top schools in competition. Tam has been known as the best, and they practice every day. But we practice once a week, and they’re still scared of us.” The Trojan community should be proud to be represented by this outstanding team.
