Cincinnati, Ohio, February 11, 2015 – 14 Saint Ursula Academy (SUA) students spent the past few months preparing for more than test and after school activities. These young ladies studied the Eighth Amendment in preparation for the District Mock Trial Competition that was held at the end of January.
Several of the 14 students, who were divided among 2 teams, have been working many hours a week since October with attorneys Emily Supinger ‘94 of Strauss and Troy and Cate Graham Felvus ‘06 of Taft to learn how to write opening and closing arguments, argue case law, and cross-examine witnesses. Others, who would serve as witnesses in the trial, learned how to keep composure under cross-examination and learned how to present their testimony to the judge in a convincing manner.
After several months of practicing, the two teams actually “went to trial” against teams from others schools who had similarly prepared. In the end, the SUA Gold Team made up of Carolyn Markley, Sarah Crowley, McCarthy Knepshield, Austin Danko, Arie Lewis, Lauren Pagano, Mae Rosenthal, and Anna Kelley scored high enough to advance to the Regional Competition. The SUA Blue Team consisting of Taryn Osborne, Alexandra Goss, Ashley Davis, Kathleen Reilly, Sarah Thornton, and Rosemarie Bingham had a stellar performance and was just a few points shy of advancing to the next round of competition.
Additionally, Carolyn Markley and Alexandra Goss won awards for Best Attorney and Sarah Crowley, Mae Rosenthal, and Ashley Davis won awards for Best Witness.
SUA Social Studies Teacher and Mock Trial Moderator Coach David Tonnis is very proud of each of the young ladies who competed. “Each one of these students impressed me with her ability to improvise, and get her points and knowledge of the law across under pressure this year.” He hopes this experience gives them a glimpse into how the legal system operates in the United States.
Mock Trial Team Co-President Taryn Osborne is grateful for the experience and the help from the Strauss and Troy, Taft, and Frost, Brown, and Todd law firms. “When people ask me why I put so much time and effort into an extracurricular, my response is always, ‘Mock Trial means so much to me.’ I wasn't even thinking about a career in law before Mock Trial, so I'm incredibly thankful for everything it has taught me and for this opportunity to experience how the legal system works first-hand.”
Alexandra Goss, who is also a co-president, believes this experience will be beneficial in many aspects of her life as she prepares for college and beyond. “Mock Trial has helped me to think critically and quickly about complicated topics. It has also helped me feel more confident and comfortable with public speaking.”
While all of this preparation is centered around one trial related to cruel and unusual punishment, the true lessons learned were more focused on public speaking, understanding the legal system, and the hard work that is required to be a successful attorney.
To learn more about St. Ursula Academy, please visit www.saintursula.org.
St. Ursula Academy is a Catholic, college-preparatory, secondary school for young women known for academic excellence and rich tradition. St. Ursula welcomes students from more than 70 grade schools in the Greater Cincinnati area. In 2002 the Academy was recognized by the U.S. Department of Education as a Blue Ribbon School. The campus, located at 1339 E. McMillan Street in East Walnut Hills has been the home of St. Ursula Academy and Convent since 1910. The Class of 2014 earned college scholarships totaling more than $20-million.
Photo Caption: The Saint Ursula Academy Gold Mock Trial Team will advance to Regional Competition. Shown L-R: Anna Danko of Anderson Twp., McCarthy Knepshield of Anderson Twp., Anna Kelley of Delhi, Sarah Crowley of Anderson Twp., Mae Rosenthal of Clifton, Lauren Pagano of Cleves, Carolyn Markley of Maineville, and Arie Lewis of Western Hills.