Montoursville wins mock trial competition

On Wednesday, March 17, 2010, the Mock Trial team from Montoursville High School defeated a team from Coudersport High School to move on the the next round of competition in Harrisburg.  The region 4 championship round took place in the Williamsport federal court house, with Magistrate Judge William Arbuckle presiding.

The Montoursville Area High School Mock Trial Team is composed of Christian Cenimo, Eddie Cooley, Ryan DeLeo, Josh Gleason, Emily Gombosi, Casey Hoover, Rachelle Horning and Ashleigh Modispaw. The teacher coach is Susan E. Carl and the attorney advisor is Roan Confer.

This year's case, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania v. Legan Arabach, is a criminal case involving the murder of an immigrant financial analyst employed by one Philadelphia’s most historic investment firms.

Montoursville Area High School is one of 12 Pennsylvania high school teams advancing to the 27th Annual Pennsylvania Bar Association Statewide High School Mock Trial Competition, Friday, March 26, and Saturday, March 27, at the Dauphin County Courthouse in Harrisburg. The winning team of the state championship will represent Pennsylvania in the National High School Mock Trial Championship to be hosted by the Pennsylvania Bar Association, May 6 - 9, in Philadelphia.

Montoursville Area High School is moving on to state level as winners of the Region 4 area of competition that includes schools in Cameron, Centre, Clearfield, Clinton, Columbia, Elk, Lycoming, McKean, Montour, Northumberland, Potter, Snyder, Tioga, Union counties.

This year, 339 teams from 284 high schools competed in district and regional levels of Pennsylvania's mock trial competition in hopes of gaining one of the 12 spots at the statewide competition.

"To make it to the state championship level of competition, the students have clearly demonstrated excellent communication and analytical skills and the ability to work together as a team," said Timothy S. Burns, chair of the PBA Young Lawyers Division. "We congratulate the students who, with the support of their teacher and lawyer advisors, have risen to the top level of this year's competition."

During the competition, eight-member student teams are given the opportunity to argue both sides of the case in an actual courtroom before a judge. The students, who play the roles of lawyers, witnesses, plaintiffs and defendants, are assisted by teacher and lawyer coaches in preparing for competition. Volunteer lawyers and community leaders serve as jurors in the trials. The juries determine the winners in each trial based on the teams' abilities to prepare their cases, present arguments and follow court rules.

The Pennsylvania Cable Network will record the final round of the competition for airing statewide on April 9 at 7 p.m., April 10 at 10 p.m. and April 11 at 3 p.m. The Pennsylvania Bar Foundation, the charitable affiliate of the Pennsylvania Bar Association, is providing funding support for the broadcast.