CNMI mock trial team going to nationals next week

Mikhail Alcantara delivers his opening statement during an after-school practice at Saipan Southern High School as fellow team members look on. (Thomas Manglona II)

This year’s Mock Trial champions, Saipan Southern High School, will compete at the 31st National High School Mock Trial Competition that will be held in Madison, Wisconsin, on May 8-10.
The team of 10 students qualified for the state competition after successfully dethroning defending champion Mount Carmel School and besting other public and private schools.

The students representing the CNMI at the national mock trial tilt are Mikhail Alcantara, Katrina Cruz, Emily Rose Dewitt, Jin Pyo Jeon, Aaron Tiger Lee, Annika Matias, Christian Miller, Myoung Ki Oh, Junseo Park, and Tiara Villagomez.

The students will be accompanied by attorney-coaches Michael Sato and Claire Smith and SSHS teacher coach Frank Borja.

The Manta Ray team will be arguing the fictitious criminal case of the Estate of George Romero v. Ashley Williams. The plaintiff, Max Brooks, is working on behalf of Romero’s estate and is claiming that Ashley Williams poisoned Romero. The defense argues that Romero’s death was caused by the consumption of energy drinks and possible drug use. The CNMI team will be arguing this case with 46 other state team representatives.

According to team captain and senior student Cruz, the group practices four days a week and on Saturdays as well.

“It is hard to juggle so many things with school and other activities but it has taught me how to be organized and manage my time wisely,” she said. Cruz will be graduating this year and said that she is anxious to deliver her final mock trial performance before leaving Saipan.

“We practiced and prepared really hard. I hope to make the CNMI proud,” she added.

Fellow mock trial member DeWitt expressed similar sentiments. “We have less time to prepare and now we have to get used to the different ways of speaking because on Saipan we have different slangs.”

Another team member, Alcantara, will be representing the CNMI in mock trial for the first time and told Saipan Tribune he is honored to have the opportunity to do so.

“This is my first time and there are a lot of expectations, but I am glad I could accomplish this early in my high school career,” he said.

With the competition one week away and time being of the essence, teacher-coach Borja said that they have hit the ground running.

“We all have been working so hard and I am proud to see the amount of time and effort everyone is putting in to this team competition,” he said.

Borja said the team will leave early on May 5 to acclimate to the environment so student competitors can compete at their best condition. The group is also scheduled to scrimmage with other national representatives before the competition and take educational tours of the city afterwards.

Attorney coach Sato said he is proud of the public school team, the first team he has personally coached in the CNMI Mock Trial competition. “I am proud of this team. They are exceptional students and are excellent in terms of their academic abilities, work ethic and dedication.”

Sato said it is a privilege to work with the students and that he is tremendously proud to be a part of the team.

Saipan Tribune also recently learned that the Public School System made last-minute changes and are now only allowing eight students to go, after the 10-member team already prepared for the national event together.