Previous Story
NMI team wins award at nat’l mock trials
|
Posted on May 11 2008
The Northern Mariana Islands 2008 National Mock Trial Team took home a Best Performance award for the second year in a row at the 2008 National High School Mock Trial Championship in Wilmington, Delaware.
The award went to Letitia Cabrera, who was one of nine students selected for the award from almost 400 competitors from across the nation and the Pacific. The award is given to students playing witnesses and/or attorneys who earn sufficient scores to distinguish them from their fellow competitors.
After the initial shock, Cabrera said, “It was a really fun and exciting experience.” She gave credit to her attorney coaches, Ed Buckingham and Joe Taijeron from the Attorney General’s Office, and Galvin Deleon Guerrero from Mount Carmel School.
“I want to thank my coaches. They helped me understand my character and stay in character.” She also credited her team, who she said “was unified.”
Judge Joseph Slights from Delaware, one of the main coordinators for the national competition, said that the feedback was really good on Cabrera’s performance. As he put it, “There was a buzz about her among judges.”
Cabrera’s win did not surprise several judges of the national event. One judge, Jeff Ginsberg, a magistrate from Ohio, commented, “The team was sensational.” Referring to the round that he judged involving Team NMI, Ginsberg added, “They decisively won that round.”
Karen Klaver, NMI’s Mock Trial coordinator, echoed these sentiments after watching the team compete in their first round on Friday, May 9. “I was confident in their abilities because they were prepared and disciplined. I had no doubt that they would excel.” She also noted, “They represented the CNMI very well. We should be very proud of them.”
This marks the eighth year that the Northern Mariana Islands has competed in the national competition. This year, the team bested teams from Guam, South Korea, Utah, Florida, Nebraska, Wyoming, and Alabama in overall ballots and scores. [B][I](PR)[/I][/B]
