The Winsor School of Boston has been named State Champion of the
Massachusetts Bar Association's 2017 High School Mock Trial
Program. The state title is the school's fourth championship in the
last five years and fifth state title since 2010.
As State Champion, the Winsor School qualified to represent
Massachusetts at the National High School Mock Trial Championship
in Hartford, Connecticut, May 11-13. A portion of their trip was
funded by a $2,500 donation from the Massachusetts Bar
Association's philanthropic partner, the Massachusetts Bar
Foundation.
The Winsor School and Newton North High School competed in a
two-hour mock trial in Faneuil Hall's Great Hall on March 24. In
the fictional scenario at issue, the Winsor School represented the
prosecution, the commonwealth of Massachusetts, and Newton North
represented the defendant, a recent war veteran with post-traumatic
stress disorder (PTSD) charged with first degree murder. The Winsor
School was victorious in both the decision of the case and the
overall scoring of the match.
This year's judging panel for the state finals was Hon. Howard
J. Whitehead (ret.), presiding justice, Massachusetts Superior
Court; Hon. Kenneth V. Desmond Jr., Massachusetts Appeals Court;
and Hon. Lisa Grant, Boston Municipal Court.
"I am humbled by the fact that I am playing a role in the
continuing history of this great building," said Judge Whitehead,
in reference to the historic Faneuil Hall venue. "I congratulate
the students on their outstanding performance. Every year it's the
same thing."
Massachusetts Bar Association President Jeffrey N. Catalano
provided welcoming remarks and encouraged students to continue
using their advocacy skills to support just causes. "Take the
advocacy skills that you have learned in this program and the
passion you have for justice, and use that in whatever way you can
in your life," urged Catalano.
Started in 1985, the Massachusetts Bar Association's Mock Trial
Program began its 32nd year in January. The competition places high
school teams from across the state in simulated courtroom
situations where they assume the roles of lawyers, defendants and
witnesses in hypothetical cases. More than 1,500 students at 132
high schools competed in this year's competition.
The Mock Trial Program is administered by the Massachusetts Bar
Association, with support from the Massachusetts Bar Foundation and
Morrison Mahoney LLP. More than 100 lawyers across the state
volunteer as coaches and judges.