As students at Hinsdale Central are getting excited and preparing for Spring Break, the Mock Trial Team is completing their final preparations for their State meet on Mar 18. The team is excited to compete, and show their progression over the seven months of practices. 

Mock Trial usually holds tryouts in September in two rounds, and makes two to four new additions to the team every year. At the start of the season, members of the team are assigned a case study that they work on throughout the year, along with five outside attorneys that help guide them. Junior Abeeha Mirza talked about her experience with the attorneys. 

“Our attorney coaches are such amazing mentors and critiques.Without them we would not have developed such an adept understanding of this year’s case,” said Mirza.

Along with help from the attorneys, the club sponsor, Christopher Freiler, also works hard to prepare the team for competitions. The team practices weekly, Monday through Thursday, preparing for competitions. So far this year, they attended three regional tournaments, placing third at the Northwest Suburban Bar Association tournament on Feb 22. Although it is a big commitment, Freiler adds his thoughts about how the club benefits students.

“Mock Trial provides several benefits for its members: 1) working in a true team format, since the overall performance is contingent upon every member playing their role, 2) confidence in public speaking and thinking on one’s feet, 3) experience with systematic thinking, e.g., learning the rules of evidence and objections, 4) preparation for any career that involves writing, speaking, and using evidence,” Freiler said.

All members of the team encourage incoming freshmen to consider the club even if intimidated by the upperclassman at first. They have all had lots of fun and rewarding experiences during their time on the team.

“Finding the right activity in high school can be tough, especially when you’re looking for something that’s both fun and challenging. In a lot of ways, mock trial is both of these things—your teammates become some of your best friends, and we’re always challenging ourselves to be the best we can be,” Mirza said.

The team also went on a trip to Harvard University to attend a Mock Trial seminar this year. The trip allowed the members at Central to learn from the team at Harvard and also to bond with their teammates. This was said to be the favorite memory of many of the members on the team from this season. But, Freiler is hopeful that their state meet will be another great experience for the students.

“We still have State this upcoming weekend, so hopefully any highlights will be found there,” Freiler said.

Overall, the team has made great progress over the year.

“Just comparing the start of the season to where we are now, we’ve definitely had a productive season with a lot of growth. Right now, we’re busy preparing for State,” Mirza said.

Updates on the team’s outcome at state can be found on newsletters that are put out by the administration and Twitter.