SOAR Mock Trial Goes for the Gold!

Meet The Writer

By Kiara ViDemantay

Staff Writer

Last Thursday, SOAR’s Mock Trial team placed third in a district-wide competition against 13 other high schools. The team competed in three successful rounds against Academy of the Canyons, Quartz Hill High School, and Golden Valley High School, with a last-minute forfeit from Palmdale High School. After five months of preparation, students argued on behalf of both the defense and the prosecution in People v. Clark, a thrilling fictional case about a murdered CEO.

“It was a lot of hard work,” said junior and first-year Mock Trial student Samantha Solano of the team’s third-place finish. “I am really impressed by how passionate everyone was about the competitions and how much time our team gave to work on this case.” Elizabeth Pineda, the team’s faculty advisor and course instructor, also acknowledged students’ dedication at the awards ceremony, thanking them for “sacrificing their time, their energy, their time, their time… lunches, weekends, winter break, after school, all to watch this come together and give this team their best.”

Although this competition season was successful, it was not by any means easy. “This year’s Mock Trial season was fun and challenging in all the best ways. It’s my first year, and I learned so much about myself, about team building, and about law,” shared Samantha Solano. “The most challenging thing for me was learning to speak up for myself and use volume. I started off being a more soft-spoken person, so being in a situation where Ms. Pineda really pushed me was possibly the hardest part… but I overcame it.”

Similarly, third-year participant and current team captain Joseph Grandi shared that he struggled in round three of competitions as a defense attorney. “ I was not prepared for objections against AOC [Academy of the Canyons]. They were really quick, and that made it hard to think.”

Students can still apply to join the roster for next year’s Mock Trial team. Graduating senior and team member Hunter Heinze encourages any curious students to join. “This year was my first year in Mock Trial, and it was so much fun. I really enjoyed getting to study our case and being a part of a strong team. If you’re not sure if law is something you’re interested in or even if you know you don’t want to pursue that in the future, I still really recommend joining this team. You learn so many new things that go way further than just law”. Fellow Class of ‘25 graduate and the team’s timekeeper Chen Jun Lin offers advice for future students: “Get ready to push yourself, use a lot of volume, and remember your role in the team is important no matter what you do.” 

Best of luck to next year’s team; SOAR is rooting for you!