Social Studies
9-12
Support Opportunities:
Tutorial Sessions and Academic Supports
Where: PHS Library and Patton Wing Second Floor
When: Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays 2-4 P.M.
Mock Trial Team
Description: The Mock Trial Team is a school sponsored competitive association that looks at debatable cases of law that have been settled in the Courts of America. Both sides of a case are presented through evidence, witness affidavits, evidence and case law. The students who participate break down the case and act as lawyers and witnesses representing the two sides of the case. Here, students learn how to debate and how to put forward a case for their particular side: prosecution or defense. The team participates in the annual county-wide tournament during February with semi-finals and the final competition in March at the NJ Law Center in New Brunswick. If you are interested in learning more about the law and want to participate in lively debate, mock trial is certainly the club for you.
Mock Trial Competition Statement of Goals:
- To increase comprehension of the historical, ethical and philosophical basis of the American system of justice.
- To demystify the operation of the law, court procedures and the legal system.
- To help students increase basic life and leadership skills such as listening, speaking, writing, reading and analyzing.
- To heighten appreciation for academic studies and promote positive scholastic achievements.
- To bring law to life for students through active preparation for and participation in the competitions.
- The goal is not to win for the sake of winning, but to learn and understand the meaning of good citizenship in a democracy vis-a-vis our system of law and justice. In this sense, all the students who participate will be winners.