Lewiston High School’s Mock Trial team won a state championship Dec. 5, defeating the team from Brewer High in the state finals, conducted at the Capitol Judicial Center in Augusta.

Thirteen Maine high schools competed in this year’s state tournament. The Lewiston team had defeated both Cheverus and Casco Bay high schools in earlier rounds of the competition to earn its way into the finals, according to a news release from Michelle Crowley, social studies teacher/coach at Lewiston High School.

The mock trial competition is one in which students take the roles of attorneys and witnesses in a hypothetical criminal trial. This year’s case was State of Maine v. Jesse Woodson, in which the defendant was being tried on an indictment charging the crimes of elevated aggravated assault and harassment by bullying. Students played the roles of victim, defendant, expert witness and other witnesses while the student attorneys made opening and closing statements and conducted the direct and cross examination of the witnesses.

Trials are conducted before Maine judges and attorneys, who grade the students on their preparation, mastery of the facts, the law and the rules of evidence, as well as their demeanor and poise. Maine Supreme Judicial Court Chief Justice Valerie Stanfill presided over the finals competition.

Lewiston’s team is led by Crowley, herself a graduate of Lewiston High and a former member of its Mock Trial team. This is her second state championship as leader of the program.

“Ours was a young team this year, with most team members being underclassmen and many who had not previously participated in the program. The program is so rigorous and demanding that it often takes students several years to attain proficiency and succeed in the state tournament. All credit for this championship goes to the students, who worked extremely hard to master the materials, make such credible presentations and prevail over other very strong teams. The citizens of Lewiston should be very proud of this accomplishment,” said Crowley.

Lewiston’s team is additionally coached by attorneys Paul Dionne of Dionne and Couturier law firm, Amy Dietrich of Skelton, Taintor and Abbott law firm, and retired attorney Ron Lebel, formerly of Skelton, Taintor and Abbott. Dominic Pelletier, a recent LHS graduate and mock trial alum, contributed coaching support throughout the season.

Lewiston’s state championship qualifies the team to represent Maine at the national competition, scheduled to be conducted in Little Rock, Arkansas on May 18-20. Winning teams from across the country and even abroad will compete at the mock trial nationals. Each round of competition pits two states or nation-states against one another to try a fictitious case in a real-life courtroom.

The team is looking for interested sponsors for financial support in its national bid.

 

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