<p>La Jolla was well-represented in the San Diego County High School Mock Trial Competition, and three of the top four spots went to La Jolla schools.</p><p>La Jolla Country Day School beat out the 41 other schools that competed last month and will proceed to the state finals in Los Angeles on Friday, March 14. La Jolla High School took third place and The Bishop’s School came in fourth.</p><p>Students were given a case for a mock criminal trial and took on the roles of lawyers, witnesses, bailiffs and clerks. The students could give opening and closing remarks, cross-examine witnesses, present evidence and more. Their performance was scored by volunteers from the legal field.</p><p>“The process is learning from scratch how a case is won, so it’s a huge learning experience,” said attorney and La Jolla High School coach Jane Kinsey. “They get this broad view of how the system works. They understand that we have a government of the people, by the people, for the people; that it’s a group effort to run our justice system, which can be an eye-opener. They learn about fact vs. opinion, what a ground truth is, what is important in building a case [and about] biases and what makes a persuasive argument. It enhances that critical thinking ability.”</p><h4 class=””>La Jolla Country Day School</h4><p>La Jolla Country Day coach Jonathan Shulman said the students also learn how to think on their feet.</p><p>“One of our never-ending sayings is that script is death,” he said. “You practice your directs, crossing, opening and closing, but if you only have the script and cannot work with what you are hearing from the other team, then you might be in trouble. We see that as the difference between good teams and bad teams — the ones that can make that adjustment on the fly [do better]. … It’s not about what an opponent does, it’s about how we respond.”</p><p>La Jolla Country Day senior Ava Mendoza said that given her background in theater, she was drawn to mock trial in middle school and was ready to when she was a freshman in high school.</p><p>“It’s so performative,” she said. “Before mock trial, as an actor, I was terrible at improvisation, but in mock trial you have to speak clearly and be able to improv. It forced me to be comfortable coming up with things on the spot and being able to speak in a way that sounds professional.”</p><p>She added that she was inspired by her teammates and watching them in their roles.</p><p>“They were able to do things on the spot with grace and confidence,” Mendoza said. “The way my peers handle questions shows so much poise and confidence. It’s so inspiring for me.”</p><p>Being in the county contest, a semifinal of the state competition, was a “surreal” experience, she added.</p><p>“We had an early-morning trial, and the first time I spoke I messed up the words because the judge asked for information I didn’t have,” she said. “I thought it might be the last time I do a mock trial, so after that I was just having fun.”</p><p>But in the end, Shulman said, “the team just clicked.”</p><p>“It all just came together at the right time,” he said. “It was the right mix of preparation and improv.”</p><p>When Country Day was declared the winner, “I was so shocked. I still don’t believe it,” Mendoza said.</p><p>Going into the state finals, “I’m all in and confident with our team and so proud of how far we’ve come,” she said. “All of our roles are filled by people that are so ready to show what we can do.”</p><p>Shulman said the team is most excited to travel and participate in person. “The previous year that we won was 2021 and everything was online [because of the COVID-19 pandemic],” he said. “This is our first time physically going to state, so to go there with the top teams … is really exciting. To a certain extent, the feeling is not knowing what to expect.”</p><h4 class=””>La Jolla High School</h4><p>In taking the No. 3 spot — behind second-place Francis Parker — in the semifinals, La Jolla High’s team was led by seniors Elijah Jones and Calleigh LaMarche, who have been involved in mock trial since their freshman year.</p><p>“I got into it because of a friend and because I did theater,” LaMarche said. “I like that I got to put on a performance between the roles. I also love crime shows like ‘Law & Order’ and have a knack for public speaking. It felt like a great opportunity.”</p><p>In her time on the team, LaMarche has been in the roles of paralegal, bailiff, detective, trial attorney and now a prosecution team captain.</p><p>Among the highlights of her mock trial experience has been “this wonderful opportunity to learn about the justice system,” she said. “I think many people don’t grasp it, and this is a great way to understand it.”</p><p><img class=”size-article_inline lazyautosizes lazyload” src=”https://i0.wp.com/wpdash.medianewsgroup.com/wp-content/s/2025/03/ljl-l-mock-trial-ljhs-rotated.jpg?fit=620%2C9999px&ssl=1″ sizes=”740px” srcset=”https://i0.wp.com/wpdash.medianewsgroup.com/wp-content/s/2025/03/ljl-l-mock-trial-ljhs-rotated.jpg?fit=620%2C9999px&ssl=1 620w,https://i0.wp.com/wpdash.medianewsgroup.com/wp-content/s/2025/03/ljl-l-mock-trial-ljhs-rotated.jpg?fit=780%2C9999px&ssl=1 780w,https://i0.wp.com/wpdash.medianewsgroup.com/wp-content/s/2025/03/ljl-l-mock-trial-ljhs-rotated.jpg?fit=810%2C9999px&ssl=1 810w,https://i0.wp.com/wpdash.medianewsgroup.com/wp-content/s/2025/03/ljl-l-mock-trial-ljhs-rotated.jpg?fit=1280%2C9999px&ssl=1 1280w,https://i0.wp.com/wpdash.medianewsgroup.com/wp-content/s/2025/03/ljl-l-mock-trial-ljhs-rotated.jpg?fit=1860%2C9999px&ssl=1 1860w” alt=”The La Jolla High mock trial defense team helped the school to third place in the San Diego County High School Mock Trial Competition. (Jane Kinsey)” width=”4284″ data-sizes=”auto” data-src=”https://i0.wp.com/wpdash.medianewsgroup.com/wp-content/s/2025/03/ljl-l-mock-trial-ljhs-rotated.jpg?fit=620%2C9999px&ssl=1″ data-attachment-id=”7741751″ data-srcset=”https://i0.wp.com/wpdash.medianewsgroup.com/wp-content/s/2025/03/ljl-l-mock-trial-ljhs-rotated.jpg?fit=620%2C9999px&ssl=1 620w,https://i0.wp.com/wpdash.medianewsgroup.com/wp-content/s/2025/03/ljl-l-mock-trial-ljhs-rotated.jpg?fit=780%2C9999px&ssl=1 780w,https://i0.wp.com/wpdash.medianewsgroup.com/wp-content/s/2025/03/ljl-l-mock-trial-ljhs-rotated.jpg?fit=810%2C9999px&ssl=1 810w,https://i0.wp.com/wpdash.medianewsgroup.com/wp-content/s/2025/03/ljl-l-mock-trial-ljhs-rotated.jpg?fit=1280%2C9999px&ssl=1 1280w,https://i0.wp.com/wpdash.medianewsgroup.com/wp-content/s/2025/03/ljl-l-mock-trial-ljhs-rotated.jpg?fit=1860%2C9999px&ssl=1 1860w” /> The La Jolla High mock trial defense team helped the school to third place in the San Diego County High School Mock Trial Competition. (Jane Kinsey)</p><p>For Jones, being part of mock trial has helped him improve his public speaking and improvisational skills through roles such as expert witness, pretrial attorney and closing attorney.</p><p>“There were so many times I had to think outside the box,” he said. “Everyone argues the case a different way. We had to be ready for whatever they throw your way.”</p><p>Going into the semifinals, Jones had doubt and confidence in equal measure, he said.</p><p>The team had several new , and “there was always that voice that made me question whether we would do as well as we did [in] past years. But as we approached scrimmages, I knew we had the potential,” he said. “It was more a question of holding up to last year’s leadership, but I knew this was a team we could take to the semis.”</p><p>When La Jolla placed third, “I was so proud of everyone,” LaMarche said. “We had so many new people, so for them to place so well just shows La Jolla is going to get better and better.”</p><h4 class=””>The Bishop’s School</h4><p>Bishop’s mock trial team, led mostly by seniors, placed fourth, seven points behind La Jolla High. It also netted four awards for individual performances.</p><p>Bishop’s coach Nicole Uhland said 50 students tried out for this year’s team and the top 25 made it, including some understudies. Many of the students had never done a mock trial, but some had an interest in law and others wanted to build confidence.</p><p><img class=”size-article_inline lazyautosizes lazyload” src=”https://i0.wp.com/wpdash.medianewsgroup.com/wp-content/s/2025/03/ljl-l-mock-trial-bishops.jpg?fit=620%2C9999px&ssl=1″ sizes=”740px” srcset=”https://i0.wp.com/wpdash.medianewsgroup.com/wp-content/s/2025/03/ljl-l-mock-trial-bishops.jpg?fit=620%2C9999px&ssl=1 620w,https://i0.wp.com/wpdash.medianewsgroup.com/wp-content/s/2025/03/ljl-l-mock-trial-bishops.jpg?fit=780%2C9999px&ssl=1 780w,https://i0.wp.com/wpdash.medianewsgroup.com/wp-content/s/2025/03/ljl-l-mock-trial-bishops.jpg?fit=810%2C9999px&ssl=1 810w,https://i0.wp.com/wpdash.medianewsgroup.com/wp-content/s/2025/03/ljl-l-mock-trial-bishops.jpg?fit=1280%2C9999px&ssl=1 1280w,https://i0.wp.com/wpdash.medianewsgroup.com/wp-content/s/2025/03/ljl-l-mock-trial-bishops.jpg?fit=1860%2C9999px&ssl=1 1860w” alt=”Bishop’s School mock trial award winners are (clockwise from top left): Claire Li, Dominic Simopoulos, Ben Brown and Grace Ebel. (Nicole Uhland)” width=”2048″ data-sizes=”auto” data-src=”https://i0.wp.com/wpdash.medianewsgroup.com/wp-content/s/2025/03/ljl-l-mock-trial-bishops.jpg?fit=620%2C9999px&ssl=1″ data-attachment-id=”7741758″ data-srcset=”https://i0.wp.com/wpdash.medianewsgroup.com/wp-content/s/2025/03/ljl-l-mock-trial-bishops.jpg?fit=620%2C9999px&ssl=1 620w,https://i0.wp.com/wpdash.medianewsgroup.com/wp-content/s/2025/03/ljl-l-mock-trial-bishops.jpg?fit=780%2C9999px&ssl=1 780w,https://i0.wp.com/wpdash.medianewsgroup.com/wp-content/s/2025/03/ljl-l-mock-trial-bishops.jpg?fit=810%2C9999px&ssl=1 810w,https://i0.wp.com/wpdash.medianewsgroup.com/wp-content/s/2025/03/ljl-l-mock-trial-bishops.jpg?fit=1280%2C9999px&ssl=1 1280w,https://i0.wp.com/wpdash.medianewsgroup.com/wp-content/s/2025/03/ljl-l-mock-trial-bishops.jpg?fit=1860%2C9999px&ssl=1 1860w” /> Bishop’s School mock trial award winners are (clockwise from top left): Claire Li, Dominic Simopoulos, Ben Brown and Grace Ebel. (Nicole Uhland)</p><p>Once the team was assembled, “they put in a lot of work outside of class and had scrimmages throughout the year,” Uhland said. “There was a lot of hard work and late hours. They would come in on their days off and in the evenings to scrimmage.”</p><p>“They delivered 150% every time” and wanted to “finish strong, whatever that looks like,” she said.</p><p>At one point in the semifinals, Uhland said, “we faced a loss, which could be discouraging, but they saw it as an opportunity to ramp it up. We had to give it our all, and that’s exactly what they did.” ♦</p>
