THE VERDICT IS IN:
Mock Trial Teamio us !
Vi cto ri
Five years ago, Higgs Fletcher & Mack attorney Jim Eischen became the first attorney coach for the Mock Trial
team at the Academy of Our Lady of Peace (OLP). In February, the OLP mock trial team coached by Eischen and two other local attorneys, Luiey Haddad and Scott Ingold won the San Diego County High School Mock Trial Championship. Representing San Diego County and the only all girls’ team, OLP competed in the State Finals held March 18-20 in Sacramento, California. The team did very well in this highly competitive final and one of the team members, Isabella Magana ’17, was awarded with an Outstanding Defense Witness Award. The coaches are so proud of the team, which includes seniors Lorea Mendiguren ’16, Emily Stowe ’16, Marina Ramirez ’16, and Giselle Valdez ’16; juniors Alexa Ripa ’17, Megan Hamori ’17, and Katie Kreiger ’17; sophomores Isabella Magana ’18, Carolina Borbon ’18, Marsha Meyers ’18, Isabella Amigable ’18, Alex Neves ’18, Anitza Velazquez ’18, Daniella Velarde ’18, and Lorena Ramirez ’18; and freshmen Molly Winger ’19, Kaseba Chibweth ’19, and Serena Tu ’19. The California Mock Trial Program is a statewide academic competition where high school students compete at the county, state and national level. This year, participation included over 500 students in San Diego County and more than 8,000 students statewide. The program is sponsored by a statewide organization and administered locally by the San Diego County Bar Association with Michelle Chavez as the director.
The team did very well in this highly competitive final and one of the team members, Isabella Magana ’17, was awarded with an Outstanding Defense Witness Award. The mock trial is a simulation of a criminal case where students portray each of the principals (pre-trial attorney, trial attorney, defendant and other witnesses, bailiff and timekeeper) in an actual courtroom with local judges generously volunteering their time to preside over the mock trial cases. The judges play a vital role in not only providing students a realistic courtroom
4 | OLP Magazine
experience, but also by providing students with helpful feedback after the trial. The mock trial program could not exist without the kind support of judges and attorneys who preside over and score contests. “Jim Eischen, Luiey Haddad, and Scott Ingold have been instrumental in our team’s success. Each of them brings different gifts to their coaching. They know trial law inside and out and are great at motivating and pushing the students to do their very best and beyond,” said Ilene Nagem ’70, Social Studies Teacher and Faculty Moderator for the Mock Trial Team at OLP. “Thank God for generous attorneys like them!”