Redhawks selected onto CTE mock trial team

Shreya Jagan, Assistant Editor-in-Chief

A selective process narrowed 120 applicants from eleven high schools down to eight students for the CTE mock trial team. Out of these eight, three students are from Liberty. 

“The application process was very similar to pre-COVID tryouts,” CTE mock trial teacher Benjamin Ewald said via email. “Last year we didn’t have tryouts at all so this was a step back to our normal process. It was a very competitive group this year. It was a very difficult decision to make in the end.”

As part of the application process included getting into character and memorization techniques, preparing for tryouts took a lot of commitment. 

“I put in a lot of time,” sophomore Maya Silberman said. “I spent my time reading the facts and asked my family to help me by asking questions. A really important part of your tryouts are bringing life to your character instead of just simply answering the questions. So, I probably spent an hour to two hours preparing every night leading up to the day.”

Due to COVID, last year’s team had to compete virtually, but as all classes are back to being in-person, this is no longer the case.

“Personally, I am looking forward to the competition being face to face again,” Ewald said via email. “The competition loses something when you aren’t in the courtroom battling against another team.”

Although the team has to adjust to getting back to the normal cycle, both mock trial advisors have high hopes for this year’s team. 

“We have a strong group of students, and I am looking forward to seeing their skills develop and watching them come together as a team,” attorney Ernest Leonard said via email. “With the talent we have, I expect the Frisco CTE team to be a strong contender at this year’s competition.”

“Virtual worked great, and it was definitely better than canceling the competition and not giving students the experience,” Ewald said via email. “But, we have the core of a team that went undefeated at regionals last year and boasted the best attorney and witness in those competitions coming back. They have even more experience competing at state and in the national mock tournament.”

Ultimately, Silberman believes that this opportunity will open many doors for her in the future. 

“I’m hopefully going to be on the team for the rest of high school,” Silberman said. “Maybe I’ll get the experience to be an attorney on the team and I think that would be a really good way to see I would want to be an actual attorney in the future or look into going into law school.”

As the process was very selective, sophomore Pearl Kapoor feels grateful to be recognized by her school. 

“It’s a huge honor to be able to represent my school,” Kapoor said. “It feels really special.”