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Mock Trial Recap 

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By Samarah Guy  

Photo Courtesy: Mr. Zilli

GS’ Mock Trial team placed 3rd during the State Championships in Harrisburg.  

On March 24th, the team earned 1001 points by the end of the second trial, placing 3rd out of the 14 teams in the championships.  

“We were the only team in our district to go to states, and we had the third most points out of everyone there,” Mock Trial Advisor Ms. Kristen Solomon said.  

Mock Trial is an organization that gives students the opportunity to take part in the courtroom and understand how the court system works while also competing against other schools. 

“Mock Trial is a program where students can actually try to participate in a ‘mock’ trial and have an experience similar to a real trial,” Ms. Solomon said. 

The main goals are to score more points than the opposing team and to win the case with strong evidence. 

“They are given a case, and the students are either attorneys or witnesses,” Solomon added. “They also have to write open and close directs and cross examinations to present at the Mock Trial.” 

Direct and cross-examinations come at the beginning of the trial, providing information on the case. The performance and content of the examinations, as well as the attorneys’ performances are graded on a scale of 1-10. The opening and closing statements are also scored on the same scale. At the end of the trail, all the points are added up, and that number is the team’s final score. 

“There’s a ballot that has everything that happens in the trial on it,” senior Lea Kasmer said. “There’s opening and closing statements from both prosecution and defense, along with six witnesses who each have a direct and a cross examination on the ballot. The judges and jury will score it on a scale of 1-10.”  

Mock Trial helps students see and understand the court system firsthand. This group can help set students up for their futures in law, and it also helps form bonds. 

“To me, Mock Trial is not only about building cases, but it’s really important to have a relationship with your team and communicate with everyone,” junior Katie Shea said.             

FCCLA State Leadership Conference and STAR Event 

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By Kerrick Shaw 

Photo Courtesy: Mrs. Morgan Ferczak

GS FCCLA members were rewarded for their efforts in the State Leadership Conference and STAR Event. 

On March 20th, Students were recognized for their achievements and proficiency in chapter and individual attributions such as projects, leadership skills and career preparation. 

“FCCLA means ‘Family, Career and Community Leaders of America,’” Dr. Tiffany Smietana-Lysell, GS FCCLA Advisor of 5 years, said. “It’s a leadership organization for grades five through twelve … it focuses on personal development with students while doing community service and planning for their future.”  

They participated in the STAR state competition, which stands for “Students Taking Action and Recognition.” 

State leaderboard placements are determined using a point system with 90 through 100 earning Gold, 75 to 89 earning Silver and the remainder earning bronze. The more points a student earns, the higher up they are on the leaderboard. 

Three students qualified for nationals, each earning Gold in their respective categories: junior Lisa Leeman in National Programs in Action, junior Karma Schall in Chapter Service Display and junior Brenna Kohl in Chapter Service Display. 

Photo Courtesy: Mrs. Morgan Ferczak

“It’s given me the opportunity to be more involved in the community, helping me with paying more attention to what other people need,” Kohl said. “We all try to tag team helping out in any way that we can.” 

Juniors Emily Ruggeri and Azreal Franklin earned Silver in Event Management and Professional Presentation, respectively.  

Along with them, junior Thomas Kohl was awarded for student timekeeper and voting delegate. 

All preparation and work that comes before the competition is primarily done outside of school, with their efforts being just as rigorous as what senior projects bring, according to Dr. Smietana-Lysell. 

Although everything is student led, the Advisors are able to keep them going in the right direction. 

“As Advisors, we act as guides and a resource for our student leaderships and officers,” Mrs. Morgan Ferczak, GS FCCLA Advisor of 3 years, said. “We work with our administration to do fundraising and events; we also make sure we can get in contact with our state and national representatives.” 

Students who made nationals will be attending the National Leadership Conference in Seattle this summer from June 29th through July 3rd.  

The conference is an opportunity for them to work with other members and Advisors from across the nation, as well as working with industry experts to further explore their career paths.    

“They did amazing, all placing Gold and Silver,” Dr. Smietana-Lysell said. “Azreal took third place in the whole state. … Karma and Brenna made second place … and Lisa got first in all of Pennsylvania. It was all absolutely remarkable.”