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St. Charles North mock trial team to compete in national tournament

For the second consecutive year, the St. Charles North High School mock trial team will have a shot at the national title after placing first in the Illinois State Bar Association Mock Trial tournament.

The reigning state champions beat 42 other teams to secure their third state title in five years. The competition took place March 24 and 25 in Champaign.

"At the beginning of the season, everybody but two (team members) had never competed at the state level, so it's absolutely mind-blowing that we came all the way to winning," senior Lizzy Kramer said. "I don't think we've had a team that made that much progress within a single year. I'm just so proud of everyone."

During the tournament, teams had to present both sides of a civil case in which a homeless woman accused a police officer of falsely arresting her and using excessive force. In addition to their presentation skills, the students were judged on the quality of their arguments, their knowledge of the law and their ability to adapt during the trial.

The St. Charles North students have come a long way since they received case documents at the beginning of the season, coach Janelle VanDeSampel said, noting the team lost seven seniors last year. Though 25 to 30 students participate in the school's mock trial program, only 10 are on the roster to compete, she said.

For months, the team spent hours after school and sometimes on weekends researching the law, writing out scripts, assigning roles to teammates and practicing their arguments, VanDeSampel said, but it took a while before the group started to click.

In their first regional tournament, the students placed close to the bottom, she said. But after each competition, they would apply the judge's feedback and restructure their arguments in hopes of getting a higher score the next time.

The St. Charles North team eventually placed second in the Northwest Suburban Bar Association and third in the Lake County Bar Association regional tournaments. When they made it to the state competition, VanDeSampel said, the students started realizing they could take the title again.

"I think that was really exciting for them because it was unexpected," she said. "It was something that was an amazing surprise for them. They felt really good about it."

During the state tournament, St. Charles North senior Joshua Heroldt also received special recognition as an outstanding attorney, and junior Sanjeev Viswan was awarded for being an outstanding witness.

The team now is preparing to compete next month with schools across the country at the national tournament in Reno, Nevada. Students will act as prosecutors, defense lawyers and witnesses in an entirely new federal case, meaning more late nights and weekends spent preparing, Kramer said. The team also is raising money and seeking sponsors to help cover the $10,000 trip costs.

"I'm just really excited that we're not done," Kramer said. "I'm excited that there's another chapter."

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