STE Competes in the Mock Trial State Competition

The Harris County Criminal Justice Center is usually empty on weekends except for a few staff and maintenance workers. However, on Saturday, January 29, the courthouse was bustling with 11 mock trial teams ready to secure their spots at the Mock Trial State Competition. 

This regional competition consisted of three rounds, each lasting about two hours. “Going into the first round I wasn’t as nervous as I thought I would be. I was confident in our case and our team,” stated Megan Seitz, captain of the mock trial team. The defense side, the ones being sued, and the plaintiff, the ones suing, were competing against each other. Each team would find out which side they represented 10 minutes before they entered the round.

Mrs. Suzanne O’Neil, an advisor for the mock trial team, explained, “I was nervous and excited at the same time. We had done some scrimmages, but we were not sure of what our competition would be like at regionals.” 

Nerves and stress were met with several exciting and funny moments. “I thought it was pretty funny when Sebastian Breeland, another one of our lawyers, said our witness’ testimony was irrelevant right before I had to get up and convince the jury that it was,” said Megan. When it comes to court, even lawyers have mishaps. “In the first trial, Aiden O'Neill, another lawyer for the plaintiff, spilled a whole jug of water on the table. It took us what felt like forever to clean it. The judge thought it was hilarious though, so I guess it was all okay in the end,” said Emily Johnson, a lawyer for plaintiff and witness for defense. 

After finishing all three rounds, the team headed in for the awards. Awards for best lawyer, best courtroom artist, and best witness were announced. Then it was time for the ultimate award of designating the teams that would make it to state. Each region is only allowed to send two teams. Fourth place was called, then third place. Neither was Saint Thomas’ Episcopal School. Then second place was called as the announcer declared, “Going to state for the 1000th time, Saint Thomas’ Episcopal!” STE had secured their spot at state.  

“When I heard Saint Thomas’ called, it was a total flush of excitement. It was amazing to see our hard work pay off!” stated Megan. The team will head to Dallas, Texas at the beginning of March to participate in state and test their skills at the top level. Mrs. O'Neil said, “I was so pleased! We have placed in the top two for the past seven years, so I’m glad we didn’t break our streak!”

The team is looking forward to sharpening their skills over the next few weeks and are excited to compete at state. “I’m excited to see what the team can accomplish over the next few weeks, and I’m really excited to see how we do at state. I’m confident we will come home proud of our achievements and performance,” said Mrs. O’Neil.