In January, the PDS Mock Trial team competed in the Mercer County Mock Trial Tournament. The first section of the competition involved three rounds, in which PDS faced Nottingham High School, West Windsor Plainsboro High School North, and the Princeton International School of Mathematics and Science—ultimately winning all three. These wins qualified PDS for the county final against the Lawrenceville School. Once again, PDS came out victorious—securing their third consecutive title as Mercer County Champions!
The Mock Trial team could not have achieved these feats without a great deal of hard work and preparation. They were coached by a group of highly accomplished, real-world attorneys (who are now retired): Lisa Warren ’71; Kathy Flicker P’04; and Mike Rosenberg P’04, in addition to Scott Rosenberg ‘04 who has legal training and currently helps lead a creative agency. The attorney-coaches’ support and guidance were integral to the team’s success. Freshman and witness Anya Jha commented, “[The coaches] provide such detailed feedback to us and really help hone our speaking and problem-solving skills.”
In their preparations, the team and coaches had to work to overcome several challenges. The county tournament was scheduled earlier this year than in the past, meaning the team had to prepare further in advance. Junior and Co-head Harrison Bagga noted, “We had to put in lots of effort to ensure we were on our A-game, which meant practicing for much of winter break.” Over the break, students memorized and tirelessly practiced direct-examinations, cross-examinations, opening speeches, and summations. Each member of the team had to memorize specific details of the entire case in order to confidently answer or ask questions off-the-cuff.
Additionally, the PDS Mock Trial team competed at the NJ regional competition on February 25th. With experience, confidence, and rigorous preparation in their pockets, the team was set up for success, and emerged victorious! As Bagga cheerily mentioned, “The team is the strongest it’s ever been and is ready to tackle whatever lies ahead.” They now look ahead to the NJ State Regional Semi-Finals, on March 12th, as their next competition, and hope to move forward to become state champions!
