Schools
Hudson School Students Face Off In State Mock Trial Competition
"Together, we made Hudson history, and the best part is we still have so much potential," said the team's student coordinator.
By Teddy Almond
Two weeks ago, students from Hoboken High School and The Hudson School competed in the 2022-2023 annual New Jersey State Bar Foundation Mock Trial competition. The competition was held over the course of five days at the Jersey City courthouse.
The Hudson School students made record progress this year in reaching the competition’s final round, but ultimately lost against Hoboken High School.
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Hudson School Student Coordinator Ames McNamara and team coach Harriet Fitzpatrick led the school’s team.
McNamara later commented, “I am extremely proud of our whole team, from our well-prepared witnesses to our excellent lawyers. Together, we made Hudson history, and the best part is we still have so much potential. I can’t wait for next year!”
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For the past year, students had been vigorously preparing for the competition, making sure participants memorized their closing statements and witnesses knew their affidavits.
Several Schools Competed
The tournament started on Monday, Feb. 6, and ended that Thursday.
Each school’s team was split into two groups: one representing the plaintiff in the case and the other representing the defendant. The first day was an entry level round – each team competed and those teams which accumulated enough points would go to the next round.
Student defense lawyer Olivia Yerovi explained, “Each student is allotted a specific role. This means there’s a lot of moving pieces and a lot of places where things can go wrong, but our team was excellently prepared, and other than a few hiccups along the way, everything moved smoothly.”
A number of Hudson County schools in addition to Hudson and Hoboken High competed in the competition, but only two faced off in the championship.
The first round saw Hudson compete against County Preparatory of Jersey City and later in the competition The Hudson School against Bayonne High School.
During each trial, only one team from each school (either defense or plaintiff) presented at a time. While one team from each school argued before the court, the other members of each term served as jurors.
Teddy Almond is a student at the Hudson School in Hoboken. See more of his work here.
