Chicago bound students from Terrington St Clement in mock trials world final
Aspiring lawyers from a West Norfolk secondary school enjoyed an experience of a lifetime when they travelled to America to showcase their talents in the world final of a competition.
The team from St Clement’s High School at Terrington St Clement had already made it through a series of qualifying stages of the mock trial contest, winning the regional final in Norwich last year, before placing second in the national final in London last March.
This made them eligible to compete in the Empire Mock Trial World Championship, held in Chicago, where they were the only UK contestants.
The nine Year 11 students campaigned to raise funds for the trip, successfully generating £7,500 to cover costs.
“They had to compete in four mock trial rounds, as both prosecution and defence,” said Eliza Bennell, assistant headteacher and head of science who led the trip.
“In each round, we put forward three attorneys and two witnesses. As well as this, we sent one witness to another trial to compete with another team as per the guest witness role.
“During the trial, they gave an opening speech, cross-examined witnesses and gave a closing speech. Each round lasted three hours.”
Launched by the Young Citizens charity in 1991 to improve young people’s understanding of the law, the annual mock trial competition sees more than 2,000 students from state schools and colleges participate.
It was the first time St Clement’s, a member of the West Norfolk Academies Trust, had taken part.
“It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” said team captain and ‘attorney’ Olivia Simms. “I will always remember the feeling of being in court after all of our hard work and preparation.
“I am extremely proud of our team for how far we have all come, from the local courthouse in Great Yarmouth to the Federal Courthouse in Chicago.”
“Going to Chicago was an experience that I will never forget – I’m so grateful to be part of the team and its journey," said ‘timekeeper’ Finn Southerland.
‘Witness’ Lola Ward added: “The competition was a great event to enable me to talk to new people from different countries. It was definitely scary being questioned and cross-examined by other teams, but highly rewarding.”
Forty-four different schools, from 15 different American states and five different countries, made it to the International Final which included students from the USA, Canada, Ireland and South Korea.
The coveted trophy eventually went to Apple Valley High School from California, who were crowned world champions 2024.
“These competitions are a fantastic opportunity for students,” continued Mrs Bennell. “They give students confidence and the opportunity to visit another country and look at their legal system.
“As the only UK team taking part, they performed exceptionally, having to navigate differences in the USA legal system.”