California High School Wins Seventh Consecutive Contra Costa County Mock Trial Title
For the seventh consecutive year, California High School has won the Contra Costa County Mock Trials championship, the Contra Costa County Office of Education (CCCOE) announced at an awards ceremony on Thursday evening.
California High School, led by Coach Brian Barr, defeated Campolindo High in the final trial that took place on Tuesday, February 13, 2024, at the
A.F. Bray Courthouse in Martinez. California High will now represent Contra Costa County at the California Mock Trial Finals in March. The final trial was presided over by Judge Christopher Bowen and scored by a panel of four attorneys.
Deer Valley High school placed third after defeating Miramonte High School in the consolation trial.
“Mock Trial is unlike any other program that exists in our county, largely because of the partnership that exists between education and the court system,” Contra Costa County Superintendent of Schools Lynn Mackey said. “Mock Trial supports, educates, and empowers students to engage in hands-on learning opportunities to become future leaders in our community and the world. We are very grateful for the support from the Superior Court, the Contra Cosa Sherriff Department, and the dozens of judges, coaches, and legal professionals who volunteered their time. Meeting the students and seeing them in action reminds us all why we keep this program going.”
Hosted by CCCOE, the 43rd annual Mock Trial competition consisted of 44 separate trials that took place in-person at the A.F Bray Courthouse. Seventeen schools from across Contra Costa County and more than 140 judges, local attorneys, and volunteers signed up to preside over, score trials, or serve as courtroom coordinators.
The team and individual award winners were announced on Thursday evening at the Mock Trial awards ceremony. Hannah Geraghty from Acalanes High School won the courtroom journalism contest. Second place went to Casey Scheiner of Miramonte High School. Both students can now compete in the State’s Mock Trial journalism competition.
Melody Jiang from Las Lomas High School won the courtroom artist competition. Jiang and second place artist Susanne Soroushian of California High School will have the opportunity to compete at the state level. To read the first-place article and view the winning drawing, visit the Mock Trial page on the
CCCOE website.
In the quarterfinals, Miramonte defeated El Cerrito, California beat Alhambra, Deer Valley won over Acalanes, and Campolindo eliminated San Ramon Valley.
In the semifinals, California defeated Miramonte and Campolindo beat out Deer Valley. For the finals, California beat Campolindo.
Carondelet High School, Clayton Valley High School, De Anza High School, Dougherty Valley High School, Hercules High School, Heritage High School, Las Lomas High School, Monte Vista High School, and Richmond High School also participated in this year’s Mock Trial competition.
Each Mock Trial team works with teachers and/or attorney coaches to prepare their version of the criminal case, both from the prosecution and defense perspective. Students assume the roles of trial attorneys, pretrial motion attorneys, witnesses, clerks, and bailiffs. Through these role-playing techniques, students learn about the content and processes of law in an exciting and vibrant way. By studying the case and preparing strategies and arguments for trial, students also increase their public speaking skills, analytical abilities, and team cooperation. This year’s competition featured the fictional trial of Tobie Clark, in-house counsel for Sunshine Medical Components, Inc. (“SMC”), a billion-dollar medical technology company. Clark is charged with the homicide of SMC’s chief executive officer Kieran Sunshine. The prosecution argues Clark should be convicted of first-degree murder.
The Mock Trial program is supported by
Teach Democracy, which hosts the California state competition. The c also helped facilitate MCLE credit for legal professionals.
TEAM FINISHES
1st – California High School (San Ramon Valley Unified School District)
2nd – Campolindo High School (Acalanes Union High School District)
3rd – Deer Valley High School (Antioch Unified School District)
4th – Miramonte High School (Acalanes Union High School District)
OUTSTANDING COURTROOM ARTIST
1st – Melody Jiang, Los Lomas High School (Acalanes Union High School District)
2nd – Susanne Soroushian, California High School (San Ramon Valley Unified School District)
3rd – Sadie Poole, Acalanes High School (Acalanes Union High School District)
OUSTANDING COURTROOM JOURNALIST
1st – Hannah Geraghty, Acalanes High School (Acalanes Union High School District)
2nd – Casey Scheiner, Miramonte High School (Acalanes Union High School District)
3rd – Andrew Ma, California High School (San Ramon Valley Unified School District)
For photos or video of Mock Trial, please contact
[email protected].
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About Contra Costa County Office of Education
One of 58 counties in California, Contra Costa County (CCCOE) has the 11th largest public-school student population in the state (approximately 169,225 students). Officially established in 1932, CCCOE has a long history of providing direct services to some of our county's most vulnerable students, including young people who are incarcerated, homeless, or in foster care, as well as students who have severe physical or emotional challenges.
CCCOE also provides support services to schools and school districts in Contra Costa County; services that can be handled most effectively and economically on a regional basis rather than by each of the county's 286 schools or
18 school districts. These services range from budget approval and fiscal support to technology infrastructure, communication support, and high-level professional development opportunities for educators. CCCOE maintains a website at
www.cocoschools.org.