Cincinnati, Ohio, February 6, 2022– Ohio Mock Trial offers an innovative approach to learning the law and how our legal system functions. Guided by teachers and volunteer legal advisors, students participate in an original, unscripted simulated trial written by attorneys. High school students argue both sides of the case.
Over 2,000 students across the state took their place in local courtrooms for the Ohio Center for Law-Related Education’s (OCLRE) 40th Annual Ohio Mock Trial Competition on January 27, 2023. Saint Ursula Academy’s team of lawyers and witnesses did a wonderful job of presenting both sides in this year's case In re S. Khan. Students examined the facts to determine whether a high school student was in police custody at the time they made incriminating statements, if so, at what point the custodial interrogation began, and whether the student should have been advised of their rights.
OCLRE Mock Trial Program Coordinator Danielle Wilmot explains that this year’s case “asks students to grapple with a constitutional issue that is relevant to their lives, particularly in a time when School Resource Officers are becoming more common. They can see how the law applies to them as high school students, rather than learning about it in the abstract.”
To prepare for the competition, students spent several weeks researching the laws, learning about the fictional character they were portraying or questioning, and practicing their courtroom skills.
On the day of competition, the SUA Mock Trial was chosen to advance to the Regional Competition and several Saint Ursula students won individual awards:
- Sophia Clever ’26 and Cameron Wilburn ’23 - Best Attorneys
- Audrey Darwish ’26 and Hailey Heidrich ’23 - Best Witnesses
The team is moderated by SUA Social Studies teachers Erin McCurdy Mollaun '92 and Anne Marie Ewart '94 and coached by a team of four lawyers from Frost Brown Todd LLC.
Regional competition will take place on February 17, 2023. Saint Ursula Academy was the only all-girl high school to advance to the regional competition out of the more than 20 teams that competed in Hamilton County.
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Saint Ursula Academy is a dynamic Catholic, college-preparatory, educational community for young women known for academic excellence and rich tradition. Saint Ursula welcomes students from more than 90 grade schools in the Greater Cincinnati area and is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education as a Blue Ribbon School. SUA earned the Best of Cincinnati Award in the School category in 2021 and 2022 by the Cincinnati Awards Program. The campus, located at 1339 E. McMillan Street in East Walnut Hills has been the home of Saint Ursula Academy and Convent since 1910. 92% of the Class of 2022 earned college scholarship offers totaling nearly $24-million.