Newton North High School was named State Champion of the Massachusetts Bar Association's 2016 High School Mock Trial Program. Photos by Jeff Thiebauth.
Newton North High School was named State Champion of the
Massachusetts Bar Association's 2016 High School Mock Trial Program
on March 29. The state title is the school's 10th since 1988, with
their most recent prior championship coming in 2004.
Next up for Newton North is the National High School Mock Trial
Championship in Boise, Idaho, May 12-14. A portion of their trip
will be funded by a $2,500 donation from the Massachusetts Bar
Association's philanthropic partner, the Massachusetts Bar
Foundation.
Newton North and Boston Latin School competed in a two-hour mock
trial in Faneuil Hall's Great Hall. In the fictional scenario at
issue, Boston Latin School represented the plaintiff, a former star
soccer player who was diagnosed with terminal cancer in 2014, and
Newton North represented the defendant, a doctor who performed
heart surgery on the plaintiff in 2011 after the plaintiff suffered
heart failure following a game.
Hon. Mark D Mason, Massachusetts Superior Court, presided over
the mock trial and was assisted by Hon. John D. Casey,
Massachusetts Probate and Family Court, and Hon. Margaret R.
Guzman, Massachusetts District Court. All three judges commended
the students on both teams for performing at such a high-level.
"All students conducted themselves in a manner which was more
than competent. A manner which demonstrated truly the very best
that our profession has to offer," said Judge Mason in his remarks
after the trial. "You have all demonstrated an achievement in
advocacy, which is rarely reserved even for the finest
lawyers."
Started in 1985, the Massachusetts Bar Association's Mock Trial
Program began its 31st year in January. The competition places high
school teams from across the state in simulated courtroom
situations where they assume the roles of lawyers, defendants and
witnesses in hypothetical cases. More than 1,500 students at 127
high schools competed in this year's competition.
Massachusetts Bar Association President Robert W. Harnais
welcomed the students to the historic venue, and thanked the
families and coaches of both teams for their support.
"I am delighted to welcome our finalists here to the Great Hall
in Faneuil Hall -- the place where thousands of new lawyers get
sworn in each year," said Harnais. "Perhaps many of you will go on
to become part of the Massachusetts legal community."
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view event photos.