NJ - HIGH SCHOOL MOCK TRIAL TEAM UPDATE Home-schooled team wins again in mock trials - March 14, 2001 - NEW BRUNSWICK — After battling its way to the regional championship, a fledgling home-schooled Atlantic County team beat Lower Cape May Regional High School Tuesday, edging a step closer to the Mock Trial state championships. ((Cape May beat out former national champions from Cherry Hill, NJ.)) Crossway Home Learners, a team of home-schooled students from Atlantic and Cape May counties, out-argued Cape May Regional High School during the Southern Regional Championships for the state’s Mock Trial title in New Brunswick. Crossway now advances to the state semifinals on Thursday, (3/15/01) where the team will battle winners of the central and northern state titles. Thursday’s winner heads to the state championships on March 22, a competition that determines who goes to nationals in May. (In Omaha, Neb.) During mock trials, teams are given facts, medical reports, evidence, rules and objections of a case they must argue. What counts is presentation, poise and expertise. Superior Court judges tally points for witnesses and attorneys based on direct questioning and cross- examinations, legal knowledge and objections, opening statements and summations. Each school has both a defense and plaintiff team, but which side they’ll play is chosen the night before.... xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx The homeschool team is in New Brunswick, TODAY, (3/15/01) competing with the North Jersey regional champs. Will they make to the National Final??? Stay tuned. Proud Papa. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Yea!!! Keep us posted... Great job!! Wendy@GraceAcres (wjl7@hotmail.com), March 16, 2001. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx From:...Scharabo@aol.com Date:...Fri, 16 Mar 2001 Subject:Re: Response to Interesting Article on Homeschooling To:.....theactiondude@yahoo.com You really need to open up a new post on this to let everyone know. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Okay, HERE IS THE NEW POST: "Homeschoolers have their day in court", Yippee! They won again YESTERDAY! (semi-finals) North Jersey Region is OUT! (A girls school from Union County). Only one step away from MOCK TRIAL STATE CHAMPIONS. (Final state competition next thursday, against Central Region Champions. (Montclair High School, from Monmouth County) on 3/22/01). (AS IN FINAL...) Fingers crossed. Chew, chew, chew... (sound of nails being bit). Action Dude P.S. The national mock trial site is: http://www.nationalmocktrial.org/whatsnew.htm ... http://www.njsbf.com/student/mocktrial/highschool-00.htm is the New Jersey site where you can actually review the details of this year's case being tried. Pretty cool stuff! I understand there was ONE coach, from a high school in South Jersey that pitched a fit to the judge after losing... Something to the effect that: "...they shouldn't be allowed to compete, they don't even have a SCHOOL BUILDING, for crying out loud!!!" The judge, however, said her arguements wouldn't wash. (Ya'know it's amazing what kids can accomplish when the government doesn't interfere, like that.)

-- Action Dude (theactiondude@yahoo.com), March 16, 2001

Answers

I'm sure you are proud! Keep us posted. I know all of us other homeschoolers are rooting for you. Seems like there are a lot of national competitions that homeschoolers are mopping the floor with their public and even private schooled counterparts. Yet more proof that a parent is the best person to be in charge of their childrens lives/educations.

-- Amanda in MO (aseley@townsqr.com), March 16, 2001.

I thought I'd get a Friday night interview with the fellow, but he's doing that 'SOCIALIZATION' thing on the ski slopes with about 20 other teenage homeschoolers, today. (for the FOURTH time this winter...) Why didn't we get to do stuff like that when I was in school??? They're probably throwing pizza at each other, at some restaurant, as we speak. Oh wait a minute, that was in MY day, never mind. We only had food fights INSIDE of the high school. (That was 'socialization' in OUR school, in the 70's) My parents called that a proper education. xxxxxxxxxxxx What could I have been thinking?

-- The Action Dude (theactiondude@yahoo.com), March 16, 2001.

Amanda, I sent you a reply, but i'm not sure if my OUTLOOK EXPRESS got it to you. Maybe Terri didn't get her rat letter the other day as well. Please let me know, will you? Thanks.

-- The Action Dude (theactiondude@yahoo.com), March 16, 2001.

I received the response you posted to my remodeling thread(I also sent you a private response to that). I haven't received a private email from you. Let us know how the debates are going :o). Amanda

-- Amanda in Mo (aseley@townsqr.com), March 19, 2001.

Amanda, Thanks for responding. They're going through the three last rehearsal days now. Working out any last minute flaws in presentation, etc. Thursday's the big day (state final). I'm pleased that their coach, Attorney Gary Griffith, has pushed them so hard. It gives them a chance to see what can be accomplished when ten or twelve really committed people work long-hours, together for something. And work HARD, to boot. We're just amazed they made it THIS far. To quote my son from the newspaper article: "We thank God for all the strength and endurance we have had, because we wouldn't have gotten this far without Him." xxxxxx That about says it.

-- Action Dude (theactiondude@yahoo.com), March 19, 2001.

Thought some folks tuning in might be interested in the HOMESHCOOL LEGAL DEFENSE ASSOCIATION's website:

www.hslda.org

-- Bob in Ohio (robertblessum@netscape.com), March 19, 2001.

Just one word for you - BRAVO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

-- Sue Diederich (willow666@rocketmail.com), March 19, 2001.

Well, the results are in from the NJ final competition. The two judges from Newark, had nothing but praise for the two teams, but in the final analysis, out of the 220 high schools that participated, they ruled in favor of the plaintiff-team, from Montclair High School. The third place (girls school) team which had been beaten the week previous by the homeschoolers served as jurors. Crossway Home Learners, as the homeschool association calls them, put up a strong case for the defense. In fact, the jury ruled in THEIR favor, but the trial winners are determined according to poise, remaining 'calm-under-fire', case preparation, how many "UH's" were spoken, that sort of thing. But at NO time did it sound like Ralph Cramden, saying: "...uhmina, uhmina, uhmina...". When the judges gave their summations/findings, they explained that there is currently a dangerous proportion of actual trial lawyers working within the court system today. A dangerous 'minority', I believe he termed it, that make a living as attorneys, with nowhere NEAR the skills displayed by you young people. Nowhere near as prepared, or well schooled. Federal Court Judge Hanagy stated: "Win or lose, from what we have seen here, today, I KNOW that there is a place for you in the legal profession! If that is your dream, don't let anyone talk you out of it!" "Unfortunately", he went on, "in competition such as this, there can only be ONE winner. But in NO WAY would Judge Williams and myself consider the defeated team as 'losers'. You should all be extremely proud." Their was a five minute moment of shock when the verdict was given, and the jury also giving theirs, as the Crossway team's jaws slowly fell. (And the parents breathed a financial sigh of relief about not having to cough up air fare, and vacation time to visit Nebraska for the May 10th-week of national finals). (Although we would have been proud to do it...) When they finished, there were picture sessions with the judges, congratulations, and well wishing for twenty or thirty minutes, with the children from Montclair High, and finally a grand buffet for everyone to drown their sorrows in, together. (Boy were those chocolate cookies yummy, or WHAT.) Nyuk, Nyuk... Plus the students took comfort in at least three upcoming parties to be given in their honor. In speaking to the state legal coordinator, there is to be another big shindig in the Atlantic City courthouse to hand out the county, and regional awards, wall plaques, and the trophy for Atlantic County-2001. All in all, it was an exciting day, and for a team that was knocked out last year in their very FIRST round EVER of mock trial competitions, to come all this way in one year's time, made a lasting impression on hundreds of new parents, several dozen attorneys, and judges, not to mention a few news journalists, who continued to probe for information on home schooling. To quote one fellow I spoke with: "We need to hear MORE about this. Out of 220 school-teams in the state, there were 218 - that would have liked to have been in THEIR shoes, this year!"

-- The Action Dude (theactiondude@yahoo.com), March 23, 2001.