Contrasting Experiences: Senior vs. Freshman viewpoints in MockTrial
By Chloe Narvaez, John Marshall High School
It’s obvious that some experiences and journeys for Mock Trial can be different for everyone, especially between freshmen, and seniors/vets. It’s easy to think that one person’s opinions about Mock Trial can dictate the whole team’s view, but that’s not exactly true. For example let’s hear about Seniors Noah Willet, and Shane-David Burkeys opinions about District ‘24.
Seniors Noah and Shane-David come from Regents School of Austin, and their case was a case of negligence to a diners peanut allergy in a restaurant. While Noah was a defense attorney in this role he concluded the restaurant not guilty, and Shane-David who was defense and plaintiff in his role believes that the restaurant is liable. Comparing this to our freshman Daynira Esquivel who comes from John Marshall high school, she plays the role of a delivery driver for said restaurant and she pleads not guilty due to the fact that she was not the one responsible for the restaurant’s negligence.
“Well I’m the defense attorney, and I think that the restaurant isn’t guilty.”-Noah Willet
“…My role in this case was peppermint, which is the delivery driver for Herbs
Haven…My side of the debate would be not guilty, because the restaurant Herbs Haven failed to give the proper protocols and procedures for the negligence of the peanuts and that was out of my control.”-Dayanira Esquivel
Now while the three students all have different roles as far as the case goes, they both seem to have the same opinions on other things such as presentability. Both sides believe that proper and professional attire, strong speech, body language and behavior are very important factors to your image and how you present yourself to others around you. Both sides agreed that fashion and body language is an especially important factor.
“…You want to look formal for this case, you have to treat districts as if it was the actual court case, like in real life, as if youre watching one of those documentaries where they are in the courtroom, giving an actual case, you have to take it seriously and professionally.”-Dayanira Esquivel
“If you’re wearing inappropriate clothing and you’re not being kind, then you’re going to get worse scores and you’re going to be less thought of so.”- Noah Willet
“How you present yourself, it says more about you than the case.”- Shane-David Burkey
While that is something the two sides agree on, the one thing they seem to see differently is the efficiency and system of running the comp. I myself don’t have much to say about the system but while our freshman Daynira has a good time, our seniors Noah and Shane-David have a different view.
“No, no…there should be no delay in who’s in what room and on what side. You shouldn’t be getting that information the morning of that information can be made available days before.”-Noah Willet
“At state you have second day ranked matchmaking, but here it’s all random, so there should be no delay.”- Shane-David Burkey
“The system would make me want to return because I realized that doing district was very very fun, and a great way to meet new people.”-Dayanira Esquivel
And while I only talked to these lovely folks for about 5 minutes each, it made me realize that the district competition is all about being grateful for experience and lessons, either for the first time or the fourth. In conclusion the senior and freshman experiences can illustrate the growth and development of the two classes. Seniors often lead with their own refined skills while freshmen bring in new viewpoints and enthusiasm. This simple dynamic can highlight the importance of mentorship and continuous improvement in Mock Trial and Texas Youth and Government as a whole.