The Lockerby Composite School mock trial team, fresh from winning the northeastern mock trial event is heading to Toronto to compete Wednesday at the provincial level.
A team from Manitoulin Secondary School tied for third place at the 2007 provincials.
The Lockerby mock trial team of Hilary Duff, Brianna Simeoni, Brooke Williamson, Anthony Nairn, Kathryn Roininen and Andrew Pawluch will prosecute and defend the case of Her Majesty the Queen vs. Ari Throxalon who is charged with unlawfully importing cocaine into Canada.
The Lockerby team won the coveted Hennessy Cup in January and went on to win the Northeastern mock trial competition in Sudbury last month. Grade 12 law teacher Shari Blasutti, and lawyers Patricia Sullivan from the local law firm of Conroy, Trebb, Scott and Hurtubise and Bridget Jokitalo from the Sudbury law firm of Desmarais Keenan coached the team to victory.
Team member Andrew Pawluch, who received the Weaver Simmons Best Defense Award during the local mock trial, was recently selected as a University of Toronto national scholar, one of only 12 high school students selected in Canada by the country's largest university.
"The national scholarship will be worth well over $60,000 to Andrew, covering his tuition, accommodation and other expenses over the next four years as he pursues his undergraduate degree at the University of Toronto in ethics, society and law," said Bruce Bourget, principal of Lockerby Composite School. "Our entire team is comprised of very talented and dedicated students and we wish them all the best as they compete as one of the elite teams in the province."
Judy Hunda, chair of Rainbow District School Board, congratulated Lockerby Composite School for its impressive showing. She also commended Sudbury's legal community for supporting this authentic learning experience for students. "What better place to learn about the justice system than in a courtroom prosecuting and defending a case before a judge," she said. Hunda thanked the local crown attorneys, lawyers and legal firms who volunteer to mentor student teams for the competition.
The mock trial process, now in its sixth year, is very closely aligned with the Grade 12 law curriculum. In addition to meeting curriculum expectations, mock trials develop other skills in students, including public speaking, teamwork, presentation, preparation and critical thinking skills.
