The Ambrose School Mock Trial team went 2-2, losing only to the 7th and 8th ranked team at the US National Mock Trial Championship May 8 – 11.  The team’s highlight, however, was a scrimmage against the eventual winner of the national title, Seattle Preparatory, representing Washington State. The 2 losses put us in 32nd place. But the real story is the level of competition at the National Mock Trial Championships.

“We’ve learned so much in this round; we’re really on a steep learning curve. We’re learning more than we do in a regular season,” said Leah March as she expressed her gratitude after scrimmaging Seattle Preparatory.

In Round 1, Ambrose faced Oregon (7) and lost.  In Rounds 2 and 3, Ambrose faced the Mariana Islands and South Korea, beating them. In Round 4, Ambrose faced Wisconsin and had two close point ballots that put us squarely in the running.  But it was Wisconsin that prevailed. Seattle Preparatory of Washington and North Myrtle Beach High School of South Carolina competed in the final round.

This year’s Ambrose team consisted of senior captain Jacob O’Brien and Nathan Pauls as senior attorneys. Veronica Fedorchuk (11th) and Reagan Good (10th) as attorneys. Elizabeth Garner (12th), Cody Dean (11th), and Leah March (10th) as witnesses.  Samantha Baran (10th) was timekeeper.

The competition takes place annually and represents all but a handful of states (N. Dakota, S.Dakota, Maryland, West Virginia, and Montana). While billed as a civic or government educational program by the Bar Associations of most states, the program is much more.  The program trains students in aspects of oratory, rhetoric, debate, and argument. For this reason, classical Christian schools often find Mock Trial an excellent compliment to their formal academic program. Historically, Logos School, a classical Christian school in Moscow, Idaho, has represented the state of Idaho.  This was the first time The Ambrose School has represented the state, despite its regular appearance in the Idaho State Mock Trial Finals.