The other March Madness? Hinsdale Central High wins ISBA Mock Trials

Illinois will be represented at the National High School Mock Trial Championship tourney in Philadelphia by the mock trial team from Hinsdale Central High School. Hinsdale Central finished in first place in the Illinois State Bar Association High School Mock Trial Invitational, conducted March 12-13 at the University of Illinois at Springfield. Other teams in the final four were Evanston Township HS (2nd place), York HS, Elmhurst (3rd place), and Timothy Christian HS, Elmhurst (4th place). This year's trial scenario was based on the Seven Reasons to Leave the Party program of the Illinois Judges Association, which teaches students about the legal and personal consequences of drinking and driving, taking drugs and having sex. The Illinois program was co-sponsored this year by the Illinois Judges Association and the Constitutional Rights Foundation Chicago. Read more for complete list of 47 participating high schools, volunteers, etc. The 2010 Illinois State Bar Association High School Mock Trial Invitational Has Concluded And It’s Time To Recognize And Thank The Teams, Volunteers And Sponsors! Congratulations to the following teams that went to the final four in Springfield on March 13 and placed in the following order:

• 1st place - Hinsdale Central High School
• 2nd place - Evanston Township High School
• 3rd place - York High School, Elmhurst
• 4th place - Timothy Christian High School, Elmhurst

Hinsdale Central High School will represent Illinois at the 27th Annual National High School Mock Trial Championship tournament on May 6-9, 2010. Regional Champions attending Springfield finals

• Evanston Township High School, Evanston - Cook County
• Oak Park/River Forest High School, Oak Park - Cook County
• St. Charles East High School, St. Charles - Collar Counties
• Boylan Catholic High School, Rockford - Collar Counties
• Hinsdale Central High School, Hinsdale - DuPage County
• Timothy Christian High School, Elmhurst - DuPage County
• Chatham Glenwood High School, Chatham - Downstate
• Normal Community High School, Normal - Downstate

Wild Card Attendees invited to Springfield

• Chicago Christian High School, Palos Heights
• Mundelein High School, Mundelein
• Highland Park High School, Highland Park
• York High School, Elmhurst

Outstanding Attorney Awards

• Alex Block, Evanston Township High School (awarded twice)
• Vinay Nayak, Hinsdale Central High School
• Yadav Gowda, Mundelein High School
• Maureen Brown, Boylan Catholic High School
• Blake Harwood, Highland Park High School
• Peter Mathews, Timothy Christian High School
• Tim Doyle, Hinsdale Central High School
• Biren Bhansali, Hinsdale Central High School
• Jackie Simon, York High School
• Margaret Cox, Oak Park River Forest High School

Outstanding Witness Awards

• Evan MacAyeal, Hinsdale Central High School
• Anhar Mohammed, Mundelein High School
• Olivia Doig, Timothy Christian High School
• Sally Leaf, Boylan Catholic High School
• Nathan Koster, Chicago Christian High School
• Anna Wondergem, Timothy Christian High School
• Vinay Nayak, Hinsdale Central High School
• Dan Skoze, Mundelein High School
• Harrison Meece, Normal Community High School

Co-Sponsors: We’d like to thank the Constitutional Rights Foundation Chicago (CRFC) as a first-time official co-sponsor of the ISBA’s annual High School Mock Trial Invitational.  CRFC and ISBA have a long-standing cooperative relationship in law-related education matters, with ISBA and Illinois LEARN providing grant funding for some CRFC programs. CRFC undertook a comprehensive review of the materials prior to release and for that we thank them!!! Another very welcome first-time co-sponsor of the 2010 Illinois State Bar Association High School Mock Trial Invitational is the Illinois Judges Association.  The Judges Association’s Seven Reasons to Leave the Party program inspired the case this year. The ISBA’s Law-Related Education Committee felt it was important to draw attention to this initiative that has impacted many high school students across Illinois. The University of Illinois Springfield Campus once again hosted the final program. Their continued support of this program is greatly appreciated. Another hearty thank you to the court facilities that were used for the regional programs! Regional Hosts: We need to extend a heartfelt thank you to the Regional Mock Trial Coordinators who stepped up and took the lead in helping us get the regional trials up and running.

• Kim Anderson, Committee Chair, Cook County Regionals, Area I
• Colleen McLaughlin, Past Committee Chair, DuPage County Regionals, Area II
• Janelle VanDeSampel, Collar Counties (Kane, Kendall, Lake, McHenry, Will, Winnebago), Region III (Hosted by:    St. Charles North & St. Charles East High Schools)
• Pablo Eves, Committee Vice-Chair, Downstate Regionals, Area IV

Without the assistance of these individuals, there would have been no 2010 Mock Trial program! And, thank you to the judges and lawyers who volunteered to preside and evaluate at all the regional programs and the state finals! Other teams participating in the 2010 High School Mock Trial Regional Programs:

• Bartlett High School, Bartlett
• Benet Academy, Lisle
• Carmel Catholic High School, Mundelein
• Central High School, Burlington
• Deerfield High School, Deerfield
• DeLaSalle Institute, Chicago
• Glenbard East High School, Lombard
• Glenbard North High School, Carol Stream
• Glenbard South High School, Glen Ellyn
• Glenbrook South High School, Glenview
• Guerin College Preparatory, River Grove
• Harlan Community Academy, Chicago
• Hinsdale South High School, Darien
• Homewood Flossmoor, Flossmoor
• Hubbard High School, Chicago
• Joliet Catholic Academy, Joliet
• Joliet West High School, Joliet
• Kenwood Academy, Chicago
• Libertyville High School, Libertyville
• Maine East High School, Park Ridge
• Maine South High School, Park Ridge
• Maine West High School, Des Plaines
• Meridian High School, Mounds
• Morgan Park Academy, Chicago
• Mt. Carmel High School, Chicago
• Norman Community West High School, Normal
• Prairie Central High School, Fairbury
• Providence Catholic High School, New Lenox
• Roxana High School, Roxana
• Salem Community High School, Salem
• South Elgin High School, Elgin
• St. Charles North, St. Charles
• Thornton Township High School, Harvey
• Wheaton Academy, Wheaton
• Willowbrook High School, Villa Park

This event would not be possible without the continued support of the staff of the Illinois State Bar Association and the members of the Standing Committee on Law Related Education for the Public, as well as the volunteers who assisted in the regional and final trials.  Thank you for helping again this year.

• Alex de Saint Phalle
• Alison Hayden
• Ann Pictor, LRE Committee
• Charles Watson
• Christine Zeman
• Frank Kopecky, LRE Committee
• Grady Holley
• Helen Hester
• Hon. John Coady, LRE Committee
• Hon. Mark Schuering, LRE Committee
• Hon. Michael Chmiel, LRE Committee
• Hon. Michael Robinson
• Jessica Baer, LRE Committee
• Kim Anderson, LRE Committee
• Lauren DeJong, LRE Committee
• Lee Beneze
• Lucretia Pitts
• Maria Post
• Mary Kinsley, ISBA Staff
• Marylou Kent, LRE Committee
• Melinda Bentley, ISBA Staff
• Melissa Steward
• Michael Drake
• Pablo Eves, LRE Committee
• Paula Magdich, ISBA Staff
• Sarah Beuning
• Sarah Taylor, LRE Committee
• Stanley Wasser
• Stephen Iden
• Steven Rahn
• Tom Murray, LRE Committee
• Tracy Potter, ISBA Staff
• William Henry
• Yvonne O’Connor, LRE Committee
• Zee Williams, LRE Committee
• Donna Schechter, ISBA Staff