Columbia Mock Trial Team (L to R): Back row –
Zachary Brathwaite, Nick Miazga, Maxwell McNulty, Johnathan Sills, Josh Thompson. Front row – Kaitlin Labatt-Simon, Lauren Murtagh, Natasha Montiel, Grace Brody and Gabrielle Stringer. Not pictured –
Colleen Kennedy, Joseph Vitali, Nick Gabriel, Riley Freidel, Shelby Saju, Hunter Caola, Kason Romanowski and Nezaria Lorenzo Moore.
Columbia High School won the Rensselaer County Mock Trial Tournament on Thursday evening and will advance to the regional tournament in April. The competition, which is sponsored by the New York State Bar Association, has students train to be lawyers and witnesses who argue a case against opposing teams.
Columbia won trials against the other four teams in the two preliminary rounds, the semifinals and the finals.
Students prepared by meeting with two local attorneys, Cynthia LaClair and Timothy Tippins, who helped them to learn the Mock Trials rules and trial procedures, and how to develop direct and cross examinations. The students who portrayed witnesses memorized affidavits and prepared for direct and cross examinations.
“The students have put in a great deal of hard work and preparation,” said Columbia Mock Trial Advisor Stephen Lapolla. “They did a wonderful job developing arguments and presenting their case.”
Congratulations to the team!
- Zachary Brathwaite
- Grace Brody
- Hunter Caola
- Riley Freidel
- Nick Gabriel
- Colleen Kennedy
- Kaitlin Labatt-Simon
- Maxwell McNulty
- Nick Miazga
- Natasha Montiel
- Nezaria Lorenzo Moore
- Lauren Murtagh
- Kason Romanowski
- Shelby Saju
- Johnathan Sills
- Gabrielle Stringer
- Josh Thompson
- Joseph Vitali