This March, four of John Adams High School’s five Mock Trial teams qualified for and competed in the Indiana Bar Foundation Mock Trial State Competition. The four teams are:

1. Mock Block – Coached by Cheryl Moody
2. The Frends – Coached by Tim Bays
3. EliJAH’S 8 – Coached by Elijah Grammer
4. Reasonable Doubt – Coached by Alex Bowman

Among twenty-four teams from different schools all around Indiana, Mock Block advanced to the championship round facing Heritage Christan and won Runner Up [2-3 loss]. The senior team included Adams students: Cole Evans, Sam Mischak, Ben Guerrero, Andrew Eleff, Katelyn McKenzie, Kyara Soria, and Seth Conley. 

Many of the seniors on Mock Block expressed their favorite memory as making it to the State Championship Round this year. Senior Cole Evans, winning multiple best witness awards throughout the season, said that he was “proud of the improvements I’ve made and grateful for my directing attorney Kyara for helping me in this role.” Along with Cole, senior Rachel Bays (The Frends) also earned recognition for best witness and seniors Katelin McKenzie (Mock Block), Sam Mischak (Mock Block), and Kyara Soria (Mock Block) all earned recognition for best attorneys. “I think my awards reflect my improvement and the amount of work I’ve put into this season of Mock Trial,” Rachel mentioned. “I was surprised to see all my hard work pay off” says Kyara, despite mentioning the season this year was online.  

There are many benefits to joining clubs like Mock Trial. “Mock Trial introduced me to some of my bestest friends,” remarked senior Andrew Eleff. “I think underclassmen should join because it can help improve public speaking and teamwork,” noted Cole. Many said that Mock Trial can also help improve analytical writing and confidence in speaking efficiently. “You learn how to use your voice and body effectively when speaking and how to argue with someone without becoming afraid and folding,” added Rachel.

Team Mock Block would like to recognize Coach Cheryl Moody for her amazing commitment and guidance to the team. “She didn’t know a single person on our team during freshman year, but she came in and took control of a totally new team just because we needed a coach,” praised Andrew. Cole noted that she had inspired him the most despite “not having legal experience, she became part of our team because of how much she loved Mock Trial.”

Although only Mock Block made it to the State Championship, JAHS congratulates all five Mock Trial teams for an outstanding season this year of growth and improvement!