LHS Team Competes In Mock Trial Contest
The Lakewood High School Mock Trial Team competed this spring in the 2022-2023 Ohio High School Mock Trial competition, which is sponsored by the OCLRE (Ohio Center for Law Related Education). Each fall high school teams from around the state prepare a trial based on a case created by a panel of judges, lawyers, and staff. This year's case was In re Kahn, which focused on school law and the application of fourth amendment rights to students in the school setting. The events took place at the fictitious Trillium High School.
The Prosecution team was composed of Alessio Matera and Ellie Clark as prosecution attorneys. They presented two prosecution witnesses, played by Ceci Whitemire as Dean of Students, and Riley Worthey as School Resource Officer Ari Nowak.
The Defense team consisted of attorneys Cameron Wereb and Maya Trempe. The Defense witnesses were played by Leah Campbell as Adrian Sato, a part-time school counselor, and Delano Yeung as Stevie Kahn, a junior at the high school and the defendant in the case.
The 2023 LHS team was fortunate to have Abby Peck and Gwen Hongash as timekeeper/bailiffs. Their work was essential to making sure the trial went smoothly and was conducted within the guidelines of the OCLRE rules. Their contribution was invaluable as they helped each team to prepare and compete smoothly.
Lakewood's team worked diligently on the case materials as they organized strategy and legal arguments. This tight knit team of students worked from October through January, on their own, to prepare for this competition. They conducted a thorough trial and impressed the judges with their preparation, questions, arguments, and appropriate objections. In fact, LHS student Cameron Wereb was awarded Best Attorney in the first trial.
The team defeated St. Joe's Academy of Cleveland, while narrowly losing to St. Ignatius High School, also from Cleveland. However, the good news is that, with the exception of Ellie Clark, none of the mock trial team will be graduating this spring, which should make for a stronger, more experienced team for next season.
The 2022-2023 Lakewood Team was led by teacher/moderator Mr. Joseph Lobozzo, with assistance from local attorneys Amelia Leonard and Dan Shields. The moderators are especially proud of this year's team, as they organized themselves and prepared their own schedule to work on this year's trial.
The mock trial team is open to all Lakewood High Students. The team encourages everyone to join them next year, including those who participated in Middle School Mock Trial at Harding and Garfield middle schools.