Ten of San Marcos’s High School mock trial team members attended a prestigious, invitation-only training seminar put on by the national championship Harvard University Mock Trial Team over the weekend of Nov. 12-14th. Over 20 schools and 200 students from around the nation participated in a dynamic seminar designed to train high school students in the highest level of mock trial competition. Using a college-level case, the Harvard team provided the latest techniques that have provided them with three of the past five national college championships.

The teams worked on all aspects of a trial, including opening, close, direct examination of witnesses, cross examination, and objections. “It was an amazing trip and an honor to work with not only the Harvard Mock Trial team but also other amazing high school teams from across the country, “ said San Marcos Mock Trial team member Will Lorenzen. “I learned so much and this experience will benefit our entire team during competition time.”

Team member Lionel Rodriguez added “ It is great to have a forum where we can take every thing we have learned and are learning in our classes and be able to apply it to a professional field. This was a valuable experience and I am now able to bring back a vast amount of knowledge to share with my teammates.”

The Santa Barbara County Mock Trial competition begins Feb. 26, however the San Marcos team will participate in numerous scrimmages with other schools from across the state, including Simi Valley High, Riverside Poly, and Buchannan High from Fresno.

The San Marcos Mock Trial team has won the Santa Barbara County Championship 9 out of the past 13 years, including California State Championships in 2004 and 2006. San Marcos has also fielded a junior varsity team for the past 12 years, and on three separate occasions that junior varsity team has played against a varsity team for the County Championship.

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