Woodcrest wins Mock Trial

Woodcrest Christian School took first place in the Riverside County Mock Trial competition, ending its team to the state finals held in Riverside last March.

Hemet High School placed second in the competition held in the Riverside Historical Courthouse. John W. North High School of Riverside and Santiago High School of Corona each received third-place awards.

Thomas E. Hollenhorst, associate justice for the Fourth District Court of Appeal, Division Two, presided over the model created for this year's mock trials, "People v. Markson."

The sizzling tabloid case has the producer of a hit new TV show, "Newport Beach," charged with murdering its star, who was also her husband.

The mock trials require a combination of legal knowledge, courtroom presentation and think-on-your feet discipline in a pressure-cooker atmosphere. Students spend several hours a week preparing with teachers and volunteer attorney coaches.

The scorers for the Woodcrest-Hemet session included Riverside County Presiding Judge Sharon Waters, Riverside County Bar Association President Theresa Han Savage, Riverside County Public Defender Gary Windom, Riverside County Superior Court Judge Gloria Trask and Riverside County Deputy District Attorney Steven Counelis.

Although many students are involved in each mock trial team, students for Woodcrest who sat at counsel table included Katie Hennessey, Rachel Potts and Leah Schelling. Hemet's counsel table included Amanda Breyer, Samantha Johnson, Abhishek Ganta and Kelly Clark.

Saturday's victory was the second time Woodcrest won the mock trial competition in Riverside County since it began in 1983. Woodcrest's first time was in 1999.

The local competition is overseen by the Riverside County Bar Association and the Riverside County Office of Education. For more information, click here.