ACHS Mock Trial team takes second

La Reina High School in Thousand Oaks won the Ventura County Schools Federal Credit Union Mock Trial competition held on Feb. 28 at the Ventura County Hall of Justice. The school will represent Ventura County at the state finals in Riverside March 28 through 30.

This is the 15th county title won by La Reina since 1990.

The other schools participating in the final competition were Adolfo Camarillo High School, second place; Oxnard High School third place; Newbury Park High School, fourth place; Westlake High School, fifth place; and Agoura High School, sixth place.

The six finalist teams were selected out of 20 schools.

The annual Mock Trial Competition is designed to clarify the workings of legal institutions for students through firsthand experience. Students in grades nine through 12 portray the principals in a cast of courtroom characters. Student teams study a hypothetical case, conduct legal research, receive guidance from volunteer attorneys in courtroom procedure and trial preparation, and present their case before volunteer judges.

This year's case, People v. Palmer, was a murder case in which students have to present and defend evidence involving issues of cheating, criminal case process and forensic evidence.

Individual students also won "Best" awards. Local winners and their schools are as follows:

Best Pretrial Defense Attorney: first place, Amanda Turk, La Reina High School; second place, Katherine Light, Newbury Park High School.

Best Defense Attorney: first place, Jennifer Holden, Royal High School.

Best Defense Witness (Dr. J.B. Schrute): first place, Mira Patel, Newbury Park High School.

Best Defense Witness (Alex Palmer): first place, Preston Walker, Oak Park High School; third place, Scott Whitesell, Rio Mesa High School.

Best Defense Witness (Stevie Ricco): second place, Joel McLeod, Rio Mesa High School.

Best Defense Witness (Adrian Chase): third place, James Reynolds Hutchins, Newbury Park High School.

Best Pretrial Prosecution Attorney: first place, Keshav Nail, Agoura High School; second place, Amanda Belleville, Thousand Oaks High School; third place, Dillion Morrison, Adolfo Camarillo High School.

Best Prosecution Attorney: first place, Stephen Marsh, Thousand Oaks High School; second place, Susan Stancampiano, Simi Valley High School; third place, Alex Benedon, Calabasas High School.

Best Prosecution Witness (Dr. Lee Stark): first place, Anisha Chopra, Santa Susana High School.

Best Prosecution Witness (Detective Dana): first place, Eleni Misthos, Thousand Oaks High School; second place, Erica Soultanian, Oak Park High School; third place, Karista Garza, Santa Susana High School.

Best Prosecution Witness (London Desmond): first place, Hannah Englander, Westlake High School; second place, Jennifer Zhao, Adolfo Camarillo High School; third place, Katya Viswanadhan, Thousand Oaks High School.

Best Prosecution Witness (Carter Cravin): first place, Victor Ha, Oak Park High School; second place, Parker Zak, Calabasas High School.

Best Courtroom Clerk: first place, Nicole Houghton, Royal High School; third place, Kaleb Erickson, Simi Valley High School.

Best Courtroom Bailiff: third place, Katie Williams, La Reina High School.

Best Courtroom Artist: first place, Vitaliy Strokous, Agoura High School; second place, Alexa Garcia, La Reina High School.

Best Courtroom Journalist: first place, Natalie Kamajian, La Reina High School; second place, Annie Sheu, Newbury Park High School; third place, Danielle Nisimov, Calabasas High School.

Strokous (Best Courtroom Artist) and Kamajian (Best Courtroom Journalist) will both represent Ventura County at the state competition.