Northgate in Top 4 of Contra Costa County’s High School Mock Trial Championships

Information submitted by the Contra Costa County Office of Education—

After a number of speeches made by the coaches and individual awards given out participating students, the exciting 33rd Annual Contra Costa County High School Mock Trial’s Awards Ceremony concluded with the naming of this year’s championship team: California High School (San Ramon). 

California beat their chief Mock Trial rival Miramonte High, this past Tuesday night in a Martinez courtroom. The match’s final scores were not revealed until tonight. Miramonte had beaten California in the finals during the past two years.

Contra Costa County Presiding Judge Hon. Barry Goode was on hand to address the large crowd, congratulate all the participants, and hand out the Mock Trial awards. Judge Goode said how impressed he was with all the students, and that it was obvious that they put a lot of time and effort into to preparing for their trials. “It is a treat to see how well you all perform,” added Judge Goode. “We look forward in seeing you all come back in about seven years – I know you can do this for real!”

Most of the schools begin their Mock Trial training when they begin the new school year – which certainly makes Mock Trials the longest season of all the participating schools’ sports activities and academic events.

For the past four weeks (seven evenings), the California High School and seventeen other Contra Costa County high school Mock Trial teams have been battling it out with each other inside the superior courthouse courtrooms of Martinez. California High School will now represent Contra Costa County at the California State Mock Trial competition, held in San Jose, Calif., March 21-23.

The California state finalist team will then compete in the National Mock Trial Competition, held in Madison, Wis., May 8-10.

Teams from the following 18 Contra Costa County high schools will be competing:
Acalanes (Lafayette), Alhambra (Martinez), Antioch (Antioch), California (San Ramon), Campolindo (Moraga), Clayton Valley Charter (Concord), De Anza (Richmond), Deer Valley Law Academy (Antioch), Dougherty Valley (San Ramon), El Cerrito (El Cerrito), Hercules Middle/High (Hercules), Heritage (Brentwood), Kennedy (Richmond), Las Lomas (Walnut Creek), Miramonte (Orinda), Monte Vista (Danville), Northgate (Walnut Creek), and Richmond (Richmond).  

The top four teams finished in this order:

1.     California

2.     Miramonte

3.     Dougherty Valley

4.     Northgate

For all the team and individual results, visit the Contra Costa County Office of Education’s Mock Trial Web page – complete results should be posted by 2/28.

Mock Trial is an academic event for high school students coordinated by the Contra Costa County Office of Education, and sponsored by the Constitutional Rights Foundation.  The purpose of this program is to teach students about the law and the workings of the legal system.  To prepare, the students conducted legal research and received guidance on courtroom procedures from their school teachers and volunteer attorneys and judges, to acquire a working knowledge of the judicial system. 

This year, an impressive 110 Bay Area practicing and retired attorneys, senior law students, and sworn judges volunteered their time to serve as Mock Trial Attorney Scorers and Judges. These volunteers represented judges from Bay Area Superior Courts, the California Bankruptcy Court, and the California Appellate Court. 

Attorney Scorers included Bay Area attorneys from county District Attorney and Public Defender offices, the State Attorney General’s Office; and the California Department of Justice. Also assisting were non-profit, public, private, and corporate attorneys. In addition, senior students from five Bay Area law schools lent a hand.