On March 25th, the Princeton Day School Mock Trial Team won the state championship for the first time since 2023. After countless hours spent examining cases and preparing legal strategies, their hard work culminated in a rewarding victory against Mendham High School of Morris County.

Made up of talented actors, critical thinkers, and public speakers, the team worked diligently to unpack and analyze cases. “[Mock Trial] gives me a chance to exercise a part of my brain I usually would not have,” noted Senior and co-head Riya Mani. She compared practices to English class—both require analytical thinking, but Mock Trial pushes that thinking into real-world application. She attributes much of the team’s success to their “extremely devoted” coaches. Each coach has experience in the legal field, giving them a genuine knowledge on the material; always being there to support the team, Mani notes that PDS mock trial “would not have gotten as far as [they] did without them.”

From demanding time commitments to challenging judges, the road to the state title came with its challenges. In an early round, one judge saw the team as “too aggressive.” As a result, Princeton Day School lost the trial and thought they would not progress in the tournament. However, the team won a trial later that day, securing themselves a place in the next round. About two weeks later, Princeton Day School encountered the same judge. Though dismayed, the team powered through and was able to win.

In May, Princeton Day School will compete in Des Moines, Iowa for the national title. Having faced primarily New Jersey competitors so far, they are excited to meet other “amazing teams across the [United States],” mentioned Mani. Additionally, there is a new case, a new set of rules, and a new team set-up. Due to this, the team has ramped up their pratcies—meeting more than usual.

No matter what happens in Des Moines, the team has worked hard and should be proud of themselves.