The musty smell of sweat and official business blankets the wooden chairs and tables of Somerset County Courthouse. Prosecutors and defense attorneys, with classic suits and ties, are seated in front of the judge’s almighty throne. The trial, Payton Reynolds. v. Smithville School District and Dalton Fisher, proceeds.

The trial could be mistaken for any case presented to the real courts of Somerset County, but a closer look at the young attorneys reveals that they are simply Ridge High School students. Ridge High School’s Mock Trial Team allows students to flex their persuasion muscles by imitating the excitement of a real courtroom.

Led by Ms. Fox and Mr. Kohut, Ridge High School competed in the 2015 Vincent J. Apruzzese Mock Trial Competition. Sponsored by the New Jersey State Bar Foundation and the New Jersey State Bar Association, the trial is highly competitive, intensive, and quite professionally executed by students. This year’s case, which disputed negligence of an injured child during a field trip, set the stage for the 3,000 eager, bright-eyed competitors. With both prosecution and defense teams, competing schools argued their cases for two nights in courtrooms. The prosecution of Ridge argued against a competing school’s defense team and the defense attorneys of Ridge High against a competing school’s prosecution. Real judges and attorneys listened in on the case, later offering feedback and advice to the students.

Sowmya Mannimala ’17 notes that the trip was more “about getting to play your role and character and being a completely different person. It was fun.”

Thanks to the students’ unwavering dedication and the help of advising Criminal Defense Attorneys Ed Zohn and Scott Mitzner, Ridge High School’s prosecution successfully persuaded the jury.

Ms. Fox points out that “in the last two years, we were up against the top four teams in Somerset County. No bystander would ever suspect that we were a two year old team competing against schools with twenty years or more Mock Trial experience.”

Maya Gupta, portraying plaintiff Payton Reynolds, took home the award for “Best Witness.” Ridge High School’s defense (Isabel Atkinson and William Wen), prosecution (Maddie King and Karen Shen), and witnesses (Tiffany George, Julia Sun, Jeremy Fields, Maddie Ehret, Maya Gupta and Sowmya Mannimala) can also be commended for their excellence.

Mock Trial is a wonderful opportunity to compete in a highly realistic simulation of court cases. Allowing students to experience the thrill of trial and law encourages today’s students to become tomorrow’s lawyers.

Mock Trial holds auditions starting September and competes in January.