LANSING, MI (WKZO AM/FM) – The Kalamazoo Central High School Mock Trial Team won another State Championship at the High School Mock Trial State Finals this past Friday and Saturday in Lansing.
The team now advances to the National Tournament in Phoenix, Arizona May 8, 9 and 10.
The Michigan High School Mock Trial Tournament is organized and conducted by the Michigan Center for Civic Education. High school students take on the roles of attorneys and witnesses and compete against other schools in real courtrooms in front of real judges and lawyers.
But while the students take on roles, there is no set script. As in a debate, participants must adjust to the strategies employed by the opposing side.
The Kalamazoo Central High School Mock Trial Team was founded in 1986 by retired coach Mikell Thurston Griffith and is currently coached by Francis P. Bilancio. The team has won over 20 State Championships, more than any other team in America.
When competing on the national stage, Kalamazoo has out-paced championship teams from every state, winning the National Championship in 1996 and second in the nation for three consecutive years (2006-2009), as well as a second place finish in 2018 and fifth in the nation out of a national field of 3500 teams in 2019.
This year’s team members are Jacob Evens (Junior), Morgan Harmon (Senior), Galilea Hernandez (Freshman), Isabelle Martinez (Senior), Lillian Mielke (Senior), Atreyu Muha (Senior), Samuel Noakes (Freshman), Elianna Oram (Sophomore), Nova Oram (Senior), Trellina Presley (Senior), and Katherine Risley (Senior).
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