Concord Academy’s Mock Trial team recently celebrated their victory against Lexington High School and will now move on to regionals. Mock Trial challenges students with realistic courtroom scenarios, where teams from across the country are assigned a simulated case. The teams then divide up the roles, with each individual member reading through the case and learning how to portray their specific character (typically a witness or an attorney). The club is currently led by co-heads Aurora Hao ’25, Gitanjali Belleau-Bhowmik ’25, and Cecily Monahan ’26, with faculty advisor Benny Abraham providing additional support.
During meetings, the co-heads review topics such as objections and examinations: two of the most important aspects in trials. When students are in court, they have certain answers, sentences, and questions they are restricted from saying. Objections allow students to interrupt their opponents if they violate these rules. There are two types of examinations: direct and cross. In a direct examination, an attorney questions a witness on their team after preparing their script to present supporting information for their case. However, during a cross examination, an attorney will question a witness from the opposing side and try to extract information from that witness to support their argument or derail the other side’s argument.
The team spends a lot of time leading up to trials together practicing and reviewing. Gitanjali remarked, “It is a big time commitment, but it’s totally worth it. The team has become so close, and we’re just this big community.” By having all members of the club actively participate, CA’s Mock Trial team constantly improves and grows stronger each year. While some other teams may be composed solely of upperclassmen, the co-heads of Mock Trial strive to involve newer members as well, providing them with experiences they can use in the future. When asked how the club compares to when she first started, Gitanjali said, “We’ve improved in every aspect, know a lot more, and work more efficiently now.”
Currently, as one of 28 regional champions, CA’s Mock Trial team is hard at work preparing for their next trial in early March—the farthest CA has ever advanced. “We're really proud [and] we’re very excited. Usually, it takes a long time to advance this far and it’s a very very big accomplishment as a team,” said Gitanjali.