By Sabenah Abudu-Abrams
Woodward Academy’s Mock Trial team is back in action for a new season. For the past three years, Mr. Jesse Bowen and Mrs. Lori Fenzl have worked tirelessly to support Mock Trial students and make Woodward proud.
From left to right: Krishna Gadde ‘26, Sabenah Abudu-Abrams ‘26 and Serena Lakhani ‘25 pose together at the practice round for regionals on Jan. 29, 2025. Photo credit Eden Pinstein ‘27.
Before I go any further and to be transparent, I should clarify: I am a part of the Mock Trial team and am currently playing the role of an attorney. For those, however, who aren’t on the inside, what is Mock Trial?
Mock Trial is a team which practices three days a week and participates in competitions. From the first day of practice in October, to the day of competition in February, the team extensively reviews the designated court case of the year (this year, Dillard v. Farnsworth). Students on the team prepare a direct, a cross, and practice every court proceeding imaginable, as they act out the various roles of the courtroom–from attorney to witness to court artist.
To execute these roles, a key part of the Mock Trial experience is learning how to confidently do public speaking. Having confidence helps you speak clearly and boldly. No matter what your role is on the team you must represent yourself and the case accurately. Personal emotions in the courtroom should only be shown to strengthen the effect of your character, and the only thing that exists during the competition is the case and the facts you intend to introduce. Niyah Amezqua ‘26 has been with the Mock Trial team for two years and has played the role of both an attorney and witness. She shares her opinions on the lessons she learned throughout her two years.
“I’ve learned how important it is to have representation that really understands your case as well as keeping personal emotions out of the courtroom,” Niyah said.
Above all, though, Mock Trial honors the maxim “teamwork makes the dreamwork.” Mock Trial is nothing if not a collective club run by the team as a whole. Tarynn Timmons ‘25, who has been involved in Mock Trial for two years as well as a participant in the Georgia Mock Trial Law Academy, appreciates the challenges of the newly revived team.
“A major obstacle that we had to overcome was cooperation, communication, and teamwork,” Tarynn said. “In the beginning we would work by ourselves and that made it difficult to be on the same page and fully grasp how we’re proceeding as a team.”
Through Mock Trial, participants have learned more about working as a team and trusting each other.
“Mock Trial taught me the importance of trust and teamwork— we are all working for the same case and competing for our school,” Tarynn said. “It’s important to put trust in our teammates and work together towards our common goal (winning).”
The Mock Trial team has just finished their first round on Thursday, Jan. 30 with a stunning performance by the defense team. A big shout out to the defense seniors, Christy Nguyen ‘25 and Zildjian Melton ‘25, who gave fantastic opening and closing statements on Thursday. The last day of the Mock Trial competition is Sunday, Feb. 2, so make sure to congratulate the team and recognize all of their hard work.