Mock Trial has been an important part of the school culture for many years, but this was a particularly special year for Westminster Mock Trial. Both teams advanced deep into the competition, with the Purple team making it to the quarter finals, and the Gold Team making it to the District Championship.  The championship match was played in the Historic Courtroom at the University of Memphis School of Law, where the Gold Team lost a well-played match to St. Mary’s. By virtue of the fact that we were one of the last two teams standing in the district, they are invited to compete in the State Mock Trial competition, March 22-23, in Nashville.

Both teams distinguished themselves over the course of the competition with singularly outstanding performances by the witnesses and attorneys.  Each night the judges, who are local professional attorneys and judges, chose a “Best Witness” and “Best Attorney” from each team. The following students were chosen for these honors, some more than once.
Purple Team: Best Witnesses were Nathan Jones, Elijah Fisher, and Sally Walker. Best Attorneys were Abbay Kellum and Sarah Singleton.
Gold Team: Best Witnesses were Cordelia Ivey, Christley Vaughn, and Laney Hansen. Best Attorneys were Sarah Teague and Jack Keith.
Captains for the teams were Abbay Kellum for the Purple team, and Sarah Teague for the Gold Team. The overall captain was Abbay Kellum, who helped lead the charge of organizing, selecting, and preparing both teams.

Many of the judges and jurors mentioned how professional and well prepared both Westminster teams were, and that in some cases they were better prepared than professional lawyers they come in contact with in the real courtroom.
“In one case, a judge said he was scared to face one of our attorneys.  Gotta love that!” said faculty advisor Greg Kinney. He went on to praise all of the student participants for their tremendous dedication. “One of the hallmarks of this team is their commitment to one another and to hard work.  It is humbling for me, as an advisor, to see the level of dedication these students demonstrate day in and day out in the pursuit of excellence.”
Congrats on a great season to all who participated, and good luck to our Gold team in the State Competition!!