Miami Palmetto Senior High makes a point of consistently encouraging their students to chase their ambitions and achieve their goals. In support of this initiative, MPSH recently introduced a class where students can practice what the courtroom experience is like.
The Mock Trial class, taught by Maritza Alvarez-Shapiro, brings its students to stop wondering and gain a firsthand experience on how a courtroom is run.
“Mock Trial is basically playing out how the rules work in a courtroom and a courthouse. We have different positions, so we have different lawyers and witnesses, so we’re basically just playing out how a real trial would occur,” freshman Mock Trial student Emry Williams said.
Recently, MPSH competed against Christopher Columbus High School during a practice mock trial, gaining their first competition experience. As a team created this year, they have yet to compete, but gradually become familiarized with the processes of the courtroom.
“When we go to the competition, we flip a coin to see who is going to be the prosecution and who will be the defense. So recently we went against Columbus, and we were the prosecution [and] they were the defense. So, the prosecution are fighting for the state and the defense is who is fighting for the individual on trial today. What we’re trying to do is convince the judges on why we should win the case,” Williams said.
Williams recognized that, as the team’s first year competing, it will be particularly difficult to beat more experienced schools, but expressed her confidence for the years to come.
“I definitely think it’s a learning process, I know Columbus has been doing it for a while. This is our first year, but we have our new teacher, Mrs. Shapiro, she was a former lawyer, and she has been teaching us a lot of the basics and I think we have a very good chance of being strong competitors,” Williams said.
With such experienced guidance, MPSH Mock Trial took on its first competition on Feb. 21 and brought home more knowledge and experience to continue in the upcoming years.
Williams’ dream job is to be a Supreme Court justice but is aware that she needs to be a lawyer first and wanted to take this class to get as ahead as possible.
“Being in Mock Trial has really given me an opportunity to experience it and make sure I really love this and it’s kind of increased my passion for the whole thing,” Williams said.
