On Tuesday, March 19, the Hiawatha Legion mock trial team competed at a regional competition in Waterloo. After two trials, the team advanced to the state tournament in Des Moines on March 28-29.

“Mock Trial is all about thinking on your feet and confidently responding,” mock trial coach Shannon Haas said. “As team members became more familiar with case-relevant laws used to prove guilt as well as finite details from the case, they became stronger in their ability to develop arguments.”

At regionals, awards were doled out for outstanding performances including best attorney, awarded to sophomore Slader Buckheister and junior Samuella Kasha. Attorney honorable mentions were given to sophomore Aanya Tripathi and junior Lillian Cogdill. Sophomores Abby Faughn and Sam Bloomquist and junior Tori Paga earned the award of best witnesses.

“My favorite part of mock trial is the state competition,” Buckheister said. “Getting to show off our skills after months of preparation is enjoyable and rewarding.”

At the state tournament, the team placed in the middle of the 32 teams.

Buckheister received the best attorney and Kasha received an honorable mention. Paga and Faughn were awarded honorable mentions in the witness category.

Preparing for a trial takes practice, memorization and an understanding of the evidence. This trial presented a new problem by providing the team with an unusual amount of character evidence. The team took this as an opportunity to reach out to college teams to help them with preparation.

Every part of the competition pushed the team this year, from reaching out for help to preparing to present at the state tournament.

“The experience also helps prepare you for the real world by improving public speaking skills,” Buckheister said. “That challenge pushes us out of our comfort zones, allowing us to get better at presenting.”