Contra Costa County High School Mock Trial is looking for legal professionals to volunteer a few hours of their expertise

Bay Area soon-to-be, practicing, and retired law professionals are needed to provide assistance to their future brethren at the upcoming 32nd Annual Contra Costa County High School Mock Trial Program, held in the early evenings throughout the month of February, at the Martinez Court Houses. Last year, 120 Bay Area practicing and retired attorneys, law students, and sworn judges volunteered their time with the Mock Trials.

Miramonte High School Mock Trial Team -- 2012 Contra Costa County Champions

Coordinated by the Contra Costa County Office of Education (CCCOE), Mock Trial is an academic event provided for high school students. The hands-on educational program was created to help students acquire a working knowledge of our judicial system, develop analytical abilities and communication skills, and gain an understanding of their obligations and responsibilities as participating members of our society. This year’s case is a hit-and-run trial (with a texting-while-driving element mixed in): People vs. Vega.

"I encourage all law professionals to join us in serving as volunteer judges and attorney scorers," says Contra Costa County Presiding Judge Barry Goode. "Not only is it a real service to the students, but it will make you feel good. You will be impressed with the skill these young men and women demonstrate in our courtrooms. Every time I volunteer, I leave with a great sense of optimism about the next generation. It is such a treat to watch them at work."

Teams of high school students work with teachers and volunteer coaches to prepare their version of the criminal case, from both the prosecution and defense perspectives. Students assume the roles of trial attorneys, pre-trial motion attorneys, witnesses, clerks, bailiffs, artists, and court journalists. Mock Trial judges and attorneys score their performance and provide immediate feedback. Winning teams advance through seven rounds of competition. The county’s champion advances to the State finals. This year, there will be 17 Contra Costa County high school Mock Trial teams competing.

Volunteers will score two competing schools that argue the cases in their assigned court. Each night, will begin with a 15-minute rules and regulations session, then the volunteers will go into their scheduled courtrooms to serve as Mock Trial judge and scorers. The Mock Trials’ scorers are made up of Bay Area deputy district attorneys and deputy public defenders, as well as public-sector, private-practice, and corporate lawyers. In addition, seasoned law students are also welcome to participate. A practicing or retired judge or commissioner will preside over each trial, and also serves as one of the trial’s scorers.

Teams from the following 17 Contra Costa County high schools will be competing:

Acalanes (Lafayette), Alhambra (Martinez), Antioch (Antioch), California (San Ramon), Campolindo (Moraga), Clayton Valley Charter (Concord), Deer Valley Law Academy (Antioch), Dougherty Valley (San Ramon), El Cerrito (El Cerrito), Hercules Middle/High (Hercules), Heritage (Brentwood), Kennedy (Richmond), Las Lomas (Walnut Creek), Miramonte (Orinda), Monte Vista (Danville), Northgate (Walnut Creek), and Richmond (Richmond).

Schedule for 2013 Contra Costa County High School Mock Trials:

Preliminaries: February 5, 7, 12, 14, 5:00-7:30 p.m. (Nine competitions each night)

Quarterfinals: February 19, 5:00-7:30 p.m. (Four competitions)

Semifinals: February 21, 5:00-7:30 p.m. (Two competitions)

Final and Consolation: February 26, 5:00-7:30 p.m. (Two competitions)

Mock Trial will be headquartered at the A.F. Bray Courthouse, in Martinez.

Interested volunteers can learn more by visiting the CCCOE’s Mock Trial Web page, or contacting Jonathan Lance at (925) 942-3429.

The two highest-scoring teams will advance to the finals on Tuesday, February 26. The winning team will then represent Contra Costa County at the California State Mock Trial Competition, held in Riverside, Calif., March 23-25. The California state finalist team will then compete in the National Mock Trial Competition, held in Indianapolis, Ind., May 9-11.

In 1977, the Constitutional Rights Foundation (CRF) introduced the concept of mock trials to the Los Angeles schools. In 1980, the program expanded to the state level. The California Mock Trial Program currently involves more than 36 counties and over 8,000 student participants from more than 400 teams. Approximately 1,500 attorney volunteers serve as team coaches and scorers, and 500 Municipal, Superior, and Appellate Court judges preside over the trials.

Miramonte High School's Mock Trial Team is County's Champion

After a number of speeches made by the coaches and individual awards given out to individual achievement participating students, the exciting Contra Costa County High School Mock Trial’s Awards Ceremony concluded with the naming of this year’s championship team: Miramonte High School (Orinda).

For the past four weeks (seven evenings), the Miramonte High School and fifteen other Contra Costa County high school Mock Trial teams have been battling it out with each other inside the superior courthouses in Martinez, in the Contra Costa County Office of Education’s 31th Annual HighSchool Mock Trial Competition. Miramonte High School will now represent Contra Costa County at the California State Mock Trial Competition in Sacramento, Calif., March 23-25. (The California state finalist team will then compete in the National Mock Trial Competition, held in Albuquerque, N.M. May 3-5.)

This year's 31st Annual Contra Costa County Mock Trial Championship team:
Miramonte High School (Orinda)

Teams from the following 16 Contra Costa County high schools competed in this year’s Mock Trials: Acalanes (Lafayette), Alhambra (Martinez), Antioch (Antioch), California (San Ramon), Campolindo (Moraga), Clayton Valley (Concord), Deer Valley Law Academy (Antioch), Dougherty Valley (San Ramon), Hercules Middle/High (Hercules), Heritage (Brentwood), Kennedy (Richmond), Las Lomas (Walnut Creek), Miramonte (Orinda), Monte Vista (Danville), Northgate (Walnut Creek), and Richmond (Richmond).

The top four teams finished in this order:

1. Miramonte

2. California

3. Northgate

4. Hercules

Mock Trial is an academic event for high school students coordinated by the Contra Costa County Office of Education, and sponsored by the Constitutional Rights Foundation. The purpose of this program is to teach students about the law and the workings of the legal system. To prepare, the students conducted legal research and received guidance on courtroom procedures from their school teachers and volunteer attorneys and judges, to acquire a working knowledge of the judicial system. 

This year, close to 100 Bay Area practicing and retired attorneys, senior law students, and sworn judges volunteered their time to serve as Mock Trial Attorney Scorers and Judges.

Upcoming Contra Costa County High School Model UN Announces Record Participation

Contra Costa County Model United Nations Gavel Winners from 2010

An impressive increase in student participants planning to take part in the 21st annual conference of the Contra Costa County High School Model United Nations, is announced by the Contra Costa County Office of Education (CCCOE).  The Model UN, to be held on November 4-5, has a current count of 315 registered students – a jump of 38% over last year.

During these times of slashing school budgets and the continued downsizing of educational opportunities for our students, this increase of student participation is certainly remarkable.  Despite such obstacles, the students, as well as their parents and schools, find ways to take part in such important academic opportunities.

Model UN, is one of five academic events produced by the Contra Costa County Office of Education (CCCOE).  “This is a wonderful opportunity for these students to utilize what they have learned in their classrooms, Model UN school clubs, and on their own, as they participate in a professionally organized event,” reports CCCOE Chief Communications Officer Peggy Marshburn.  “Our Model UN program continues to grow in participating schools and students.  We often hear from the schools how our academic events [such as Model UN] are a tremendous hands-on learning option to offer their students, plus the experience makes a great addition to the students’ college applications.”  

The CCCOE’s other upcoming academic events include Academic Decathlon, Mock Trial, and National History Day, which are also looking at an increase in participating schools and students, evident by many early registrants.   In addition, the CCCOE’S second-year Mock Trial Invitational, to be held in early December, has already reached maximum capacity.

Model United Nations is a simulation of the UN General Assembly and other multilateral bodies. In Model UN, students step into the shoes of ambassadors from UN member states to debate current issues on the organization's agenda.  While playing their roles as ambassadors, student delegates make speeches, prepare draft resolutions, negotiate with allies and adversaries, resolve conflicts, and navigate the Model UN conference rules of procedure – all in the interest of mobilizing international cooperation to resolve problems that affect countries all over the world.

Before playing out their ambassadorial roles in a Model UN simulation, students research the issue that their committee will address.  Model UN participants learn how the international community acts on its concerns about topics including peace and security, human rights, the environment, food and hunger, economic development and globalization.  Model UN delegates also look closely at the needs, goals and foreign policies of the countries they will represent at the event.  The insights they gain from their exploration of history, geography, culture, economics and science contribute to the authenticity of the simulation when the role playing gets under way. The delegates' in-depth knowledge of their countries guarantees a lively and memorable experience.

This year marks the 67th Anniversary of the United Nations founding in San Francisco.  To give students (delegates) a flavor of the UN’s real-world accomplishments, former United Nations Development Programme Senior Officer Herb Behrstock will be serving as the keynote speaker at the Opening Plenary ceremony.  Behrstock is the current president of the UN Association, East Bay Chapter. 

Participating in this year’s Contra Costa County Model UN are students from: Acalanes High (Lafayette), Antioch High, Athenian High (Danville), Campolindo High (Moraga), Carondelet High (Concord), Deer Valley High (Antioch), De La Salle High (Concord), Dougherty Valley High (San Ramon), Las Lomas (Walnut Creek), Liberty High (Brentwood), Livermore Valley Charter Preparatory High (Livermore), Marin Academy (San Rafael), Northgate High (Walnut Creek), and San Ramon Valley High (Danville). 

For additional information about CCCOE’s Model UN and other academic events, please contact Peggy Marshburn at (925) 942-3420, visit their website.