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Chaparral Mock Trial Team Loses to Hemet

The team misses its chance at the Elite Eight stage of the competition.

Although it’s her senior year and her team won’t be heading to the final competition, Molly Bernard already learned her fair share of lessons while playing fictitious parts.

“I like going up and speaking in front of people,” said the 17-year-old Chaparral High School student. “I like my team, the atmosphere.”

Temecula’s Chaparral lost to Hemet High School during Wednesday’s Mock Trial competition at the Riverside Hall of Justice. Murrieta Valley High School also lost on Wednesday. Riverside Polytechnic High School, Corona’s Centennial High School and Woodcrest Christian School of Riverside will all head to the finals in Riverside on Saturday.

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Only eight high school teams in the county made it to the Elite Eight stage of the annual competition. The students who made it to the Elite Eight beat out 15 other county high schools in four rounds of competition that began in early February. 

Each year students get the same fictional case to argue. This year’s case, People v. Woodson, involves the topic of cyberbullying and assault with a deadly weapon. In the case, the alleged victim, “Angel Sterling,” claims defendant “Jesse Woodson” created a Website called “Clip Angel’s Wings” to mock him and then later threw a brick at his head.

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Students spend months prepping for the competition, beginning in October and practicing for four hours a week, said team coach and Chaparral English teacher Barbara Mueller.

After coaching the team for seven years, Mueller was ecstatic to make it to the Elite Eight, a first for her team.

This year “there are many seniors on our team,” she explained while waiting in the courthouse lobby to hear the final scores. “That really helps, the maturity, the experience.”

Although she said her team held their own, Mueller said it was a fairly even competition. “I think this was a very competitive match,” she said. “I really can’t predict the outcome because both teams were well prepared.”

Molly is one of those seniors who will head off to college next year armed with two years of Mock Trial experience. Last year she served as an understudy, but this year she landed the part of “Chris Draper,” a teacher who witnessed the incident.

Outfitted in a conservative skirt and top, her face framed in delicate, wire-rim glasses, Molly said she hopes to work as a real trial attorney. When that day comes, Molly is confident that the skills she learned in Mock Trial will easily translate to the courtroom.

“It’s interesting because usually people will never get an opportunity like this,” she said. “I’m glad because I know how it’s (trial) conducted. It’s nice to see how others conduct themselves and the types of roles they take on in the courtroom.”

Ben Briones-Colman is a little less sure of what his future holds career-wise. Ben’s father, a Riverside County public defender, persuaded him to join his freshman year, but for now, the 15-year-old Chaparral sophomore is just enjoying Mock Trial for what it is – a fun and interesting extracurricular activity.

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