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4 middle schools face off in junior mock trial
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Posted on Apr 02 2019
Participating Junior Mock Trial middle schoolers pose for a photo last Saturday after the event. (Kimberly A. Bautista)
Four middle schools in the CNMI squared off at the14th annual Junior Mock Trial hosted by the Northern Marianas Humanities Council last Saturday at the second floor of the Marianas Business Plaza.
The participating schools were Mount Carmel School, Saipan Community School, Rota Junior Senior High School, and Tinian Junior Senior High School.
They argued the fictitious case of an individual who got injured on a hike in the case of Justin Pangelinan vs. ForensiTech, Inc. This was the same case that was argued during the annual mock trial competition last month where Marianas High School bested four other high schools.
During last Saturday’s event, the schools were paired up over two rounds, which were presided by a judge. This year’s judges were Associate Judge Wesley M. Bogdan, Associate Judge Teresa Kim-Tenorio, and Associate Judge Joseph N. Camacho.
During cross examination, the middle school students from MCS and Rota Junior Senior High School appeared nervous but Superior Court Associate Judge Joseph Camacho encouraged the students and offered guidance when needed.
Camacho gave the students advice on the do’s and don’ts when questioning a direct witness and when cross-examining the witness.
The annual Junior Mock Trial is non-competitive and is a program to season middle school students for the competitive mock trial competition.
The CNMI Junior High Mock Trial is also a signature program of the Northern Marianas Humanities Council where middle school students can learn about the law and standard courtroom procedures. Though the program is non-competitive, the students were recognized for their roles as attorneys or witnesses.
