Opening Statements: Tyrone goes 3-1 at annual Pittsburgh Mock Trial Competition
In the city of Pittsburgh you never know what’s around the next corner, but hundreds of teenagers in business suits was probably not on the top of your list.
Tyrone’s Mock Trial Team was among 47 teams competing in the University of Pittsburgh’s Mock Trial Tournament at the Cathedral of Learning on the University of Pittsburgh campus. The annual pre-season tournament is one of the largest in Pennsylvania and attracts some of the best mock trial teams in the state.
I’m very proud of the team, and I think we’re ready to take things to the next level at our first county trial
— Coach Todd Cammarata
Tyrone came home from the tournament with a successful 3-1 record and a “Best Attorney Award” for senior Adam Zook, who was the first to win this award in six years of attending this annual competition.
“I was surprised to get the award,” said Zook, “I thought my witnesses kind of helped me through it and I’d give all the credit to them and the coaches.”
The Pennsylvania Mock Trial Competition gives more than 300 high school student teams from across the state the opportunity to compete against each other as lawyers and witnesses in simulated civil and criminal trials before actual judges and juries. This academic competition helps to build students critical thinking and communication skills in addition to providing students with a detailed understanding of the American legal system.
This year’s case, Lilienthal Insurance vs. Nature Habitat Preserve is a civil case. Stacy Earhart, an employee of the defendant’s company, was in control of an unmanned drone that spooked a horse, causing a young man named Steven Yeager to fall from the horse, sustaining serious permanent injuries. The case rests in the hands of jury to determine if the insurance company or the Nature Preserve is liable for Steven’s 2.5 million dollar medical bills.
“I’m very proud of the team, and I think we’re ready to take things to the next level at our first county trial,” said teacher coach Todd Cammarata.
Members of this year’s mock trial team include attorneys Adam Zook, Chloe Makdad, Haley Butina and understudy Jonathan Clifton. Witnesses are Mikayla Ritchey, Erika Voyzey, Zack Webster, Paige Umholtz, Morgan Bridges, Molly Harris and understudies Marlena Wagner and Conner Garman.
The team competes against Altoona High School at the Blair County Courthouse on Thursday, January 28th at 6:00 pm.
Hi, I’m Zackery Webster, Editor in Chief of the Eagle Eye News. I have been a part of the Eagle Eye Newspaper for four years. In that time my niche in...
