Ann Arbor's Community High School mock trial team wins back-to-back state championships

For the second straight year and the fifth time since 1993, the Community High School mock trial team has won the mock trial state championship enhancing its reputation as one of the best programs in the state.

Head coach Cheryl Grace, a teacher at Community, said the victory over Kalamazoo Central High School last weekend came after months of preparation on a single case. Even though winning has become a tradition for the Community team, Grace said the feeling doesn’t get old.

“It was a different group of kids and it’s such a nerve-wracking day that you never really get used to it,” she said.

The Community High School Mock Trial Team was named state champion last weekend.

Courtesy of Cheryl Grace

Grace said mock trial as like “putting on a play about a trial and having someone try and sabotage you the whole time.” She said the team began meeting in October and was given their case in November and practiced it up to four nights a week.

This year’s case focused on cyberstalking, with a plaintiff suing a defendant who had harassed the plaintiff anonymously in order to cause that person to lose scholarships and valedictorian honors in a make-believe high school.

The team is now preparing to go to the national competition from May 5 to May 8 in Phoenix, Ariz., and is working on fundraising for the tournament. The goal is to raise about $10,000 to help fulfill all travel accommodations.

Grace said the mock trial team can be a springboard for high school students to pursue careers in law.

“If you look at the kids who come out of the program, they’re exceptional people, but in some cases go on to pursue law,” she said. “It gets kids interested in this as a career.”

Kyle Feldscher covers K-12 education for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at kylefeldscher@annarbor.com or you can follow him on Twitter.

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