The mock trial team from all-girls' Louisville High School in Woodland Hills won its eighth Los Angeles County Mock Trial Championship Nov. 29 at the L.A. County Courthouse and will represent the region at the state competition held in Riverside during the last weekend in March. It is the second time in four years that the Louisville team has won the regional title.
Among 70 original participating teams in last fall's L.A.-area mock trial, Louisville reached the top ten as the only Catholic high school, and the only all-girls' team, left in the Senior-level competition. The fictional court case used in the 2007 mock trial dealt with the murder of a Hollywood producer in his Hollywood Hills mansion.
Louisville's defense team defeated Valencia High School's prosecution in the semi-final round of competition. Louisville team coach/teacher, Michael Telesca, was pleased with how well his attorneys listened and made timely objections.
"I was particularly impressed because we were able to keep out the prosecution's case with our aggressive objections," said Telesca. Facing Gabrielino High School in the final round, an exciting re-match for Louisville since they had competed against this team in 2004, Louisville continued its aggressive strategy.
"Our attorneys made good objections to keep the other team's evidence out," said Telesca, who added the trial's turning point came when the witnesses for the defense were noticeably evasive as they tried to spin the evidence. "However," explained Telesca, "our attorneys successfully controlled their witnesses during cross-examination."
Nellie Prestine-Lowery's closing argument, according to her Louisville teammates, was "very strong and convincing, definitely believable." Louisville principal Kathleen Vercillo credited the team for being "flexible and open to change. They are able to pick up nuances and think on their feet."
According to Telesca, team members have strived to become the best they can be in their individual roles. "About half of what the competition is about is mastering the law: the rules of evidence, arguing objections, trial procedure, etc. The other half of the competition is about developing a certain level of acting ability to make it all look spontaneous," noted Telesca.
He explained that, since the state competition uses the same case as the L.A. County competition, the team will not have to start from scratch. They will begin rehearsing again in late February.
After seeing the team win the regional competition, Sister of St. Louis Myra McPartland, Louisville's president, commented: "Being present in that court room and seeing our young women demonstrate their knowledge of the law gave me great hope for the future of our justice system." |