{"id":270348,"date":"2018-02-19T06:06:38","date_gmt":"2018-02-18T20:06:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/?p=270348"},"modified":"2018-02-19T06:06:38","modified_gmt":"2018-02-18T20:06:38","slug":"mt-carmel-tops-hs-mock-trial","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/mt-carmel-tops-hs-mock-trial\/","title":{"rendered":"Mt. Carmel tops HS mock trial"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The Mount Carmel School team rejoices after being announced the 2018 High School Mock Trial champions last Friday and will represent the CNMI in the HS Mock Trial national championship in Reno, Nevada in May 2018. (Bea Cabrera)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Mount Carmel School successfully defended its title after winning the 20th Annual High School Mock Trial last Friday at the CNMI Supreme Court, making the team the CNMI\u2019s representative at the national championship in Reno, Nevada in May.<\/p>\n

Tinian High School placed second, while Marianas High School placed third.<\/p>\n

The competition was presided by Chief Judge Ramona V. Manglona of the U.S. District Court for the NMI.<\/p>\n

MCS president Galvin Guerrero couldn\u2019t be prouder of the MCS team. \u201cHalf of the team that competed this year was their first time, the students who played attorneys this year were their first time. The winning team last year were mostly seniors and they all left, so this year was a tremendous challenge but this was [made] possible by the support of the parents, the entire school family, and our attorney coach Garth Backe and\u2026all the students who worked really hard,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

He credited their winning performance to teamwork.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe had a bench team, we had a junior high team and it was a very big team and they all helped out each other\u2026 We will take a week or two off and then we will get back to get ready for the national[s],\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

Justin Ocampo, an MCS junior high student, said the team \u201cworked very hard to get here and I commend the high school students but also the teachers and lawyers that worked so hard, preparing us for this competition,\u201d he said. \u201cI feel very happy and proud for this opportunity to represent the CNMI.\u201d<\/p>\n

Superior Court Associate Judge Teresa K. Kim-Tenorio congratulated all the participants.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll the students come in as winners and I really feel it\u2019s tough for the jurors\u2014the lawyers who score them because you are judging a bunch of kids who are already excellent. \u2026The competition\u2026gives the students some type of exposure so they are not just coming in as fresh competitors,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been fortunate enough to have the opportunity to see this in different aspects as I was once a coach, state coordinator, and now I judge the competitions. It was\u2026great to see the dedication of the students,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n

Kim-Tenorio said the CNMI Judiciary will be involved in helping prepare the MCS team for the nationals. She will sit in to give the students tips to hone their skills.<\/p>\n

The jurors in the final round of the high school mock trial competitions were Jim Sirok, Nicole Ripple, Gil Birnbrich, Janet King, and Ben Hale.<\/p>\n

This was not Sirok\u2019s first time to judge the final round and has been involved in moot court judging for four to five years already. \u201cI see the improvement every year and I think more participants are involved than when we started out years ago,\u201d Sirok said.<\/p>\n

\u201cCoaching is one of the factors why this competition is improving every time. I didn\u2019t know how many attorneys were involved, if at all, in the early years but now you have attorneys involved as well as just teachers. You also have students that are committed that are just like a sports team,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

The schools that participated was composed of public and private schools on Saipan, Tinian, and Rota.<\/p>\n

Acting Education Commissioner Glen Mu\u00f1a praised the students\u2019 performance and commended the schools and students that got individual awards.<\/p>\n

The Best Prosecution Witness award went to Kevin Wolf of Marianas High School; Best Defense Witness went to Theresa Zheng of Mount Carmel School, Anna Nunez of Grace Christian Academy, and Jonan Pohl of Marianas High School; Best Prosecution\/Defense Attorney went to Shea Hartig of Saipan International School; and the Supreme Court Professionalism Award went to Grace Christian Academy.<\/p>\n

MD: Mount Carmel School successfully defended its championshop after winning the 20th Annual High School Mock Trial held last Friday at the Supreme Court.<\/p>\n

KW: High School Mock Trial, CNMI Judiciary, PSS, Mount Carmel School, Marianas High School.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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