Palm Desert High School mock trial team makes the 'Elite Eight' in county competition

If you've never heard of the criminal case of People v. Clark, don't consider yourself uninformed. It was a local, low-profile homicide. Oh, and the defense and prosecution attorneys, bailiffs, clerks, witnesses and courtroom artists were all high school students.

Since late January, three high school mock trial teams from the Coachella Valley — Indio High School, La Quinta High School and Palm Desert High School — were among 22 schools who argued the fictitious case in several rounds as part of the 42nd annual Riverside County Mock Trial Competition.

In a mock trial, schools compete by assuming roles on pre-determined defense and prosecution teams. They present their prepared arguments to real judges and are evaluated by practicing attorneys.

Last week, Palm Desert High's mock trial team made it to the Elite Eight, the last round of competition before the semifinals, at the Riverside Hall of Justice. While they did not advance to the semifinals, their adviser, Chuck Mazet, said it was a proud performance against Notre Dame High School in Riverside.

In the Aztecs’ quest to the Elite Eight, they benefited from some veteran experience on their team this school year. While the Rajahs’ team featured mostly newcomers, their zeal was revealed in the courtroom.

Following the fourth round of competition, the Riverside County Office of Education recognized three students from Palm Desert High — Alexia Leija, Leela Fayssoux and Tess Abedi — with gold medals for their outstanding roles as prosecution witnesses. Indio High's Heaven Ortiz — in her first year on the mock trial team — earned a bronze medal for her portrayal as a prosecution witness as well.

'Game on'

Ultimately, it wasn't the schools’ history of excellence that drove the team members, but their own. The way Indio High’s adviser, Martha Sung, sees it, it comes down to the students’ focus, confidence and unassailable work ethic. The mock trial teams have earned that sense of pride and fellowship — and it has paid dividends.

“This is the fruits of their labor,” she said. “It’s just a beautiful thing to see. We’re just so proud of our schools here in the desert and it’s fun to go to Riverside and compete.”

Anyone who has seen even a single episode of “Law & Order” knows how intense a court trial can be, and it was that kind of atmosphere in which these mock trial teams competed. Preparation began last fall. Students committed to two evening practice sessions every week — diving into complex legal issues as they developed strategies for both the prosecution and the defense.

Intimidation is the name of the game, the high-schoolers said. “You don’t want anyone to know you’re internally freaking out,” Abedi said, “so you just kind of keep it together as you all enter the courtroom as a unit in our fancy professional lawyer suits.”

“We get ourselves ready and validate each other,” said Ortiz. “We tell each other that we’re going to do great, even if we feel like we’re not going to do great.”

And then, it’s game on: A flip is switched and “the mock trial brain turns on,” said Lauren Farrell of Palm Desert High. “You enter this really focused mindset and we all become engrossed in our roles.”

“Three hours later, you came out and it's like you were in a whole other world,” Abedi said, eliciting laughter from Indio High’s team.

Their day in court

“I knew it was going to be stressful going against well-polished schools,” Ortiz added, “but we’ve prepared for so long. I walked in, put my game face on and was like, ‘We got this as a team.’”

In the first round of competition, Ana Gamino, a sophomore at Indio High, said she watched from the sidelines to observe the process.

“Our defense ended up winning (that round),” she said. “It was motivational for me to see that we can do this, even as a new team. I was really proud of everyone and it was a great moment to see our progress come to life.”

Jared Arellano, who competed in that first round as an attorney, said it was especially challenging finding ways during cross examination to discredit the witnesses.

“The other school, for some reason, failed to bring up the most important part … which was basically the whole motive of the crime,” Arellano said, a junior at Indio High. “I brought that up in closing and it was actually really fun.”

Finding strength in unity

Camaraderie helps in the courtroom, too. It even extends from school to school and from class to class.

“You’ll find us doing our work and texting each other questions and being like, ‘Does this make sense for cross examination? Should we put this fact as the opening argument?’” Abedi said. “We really put all of our efforts and our minds on this case.”

Her teammate, Abigail Cheley, added: “We’re constantly quizzing each other and reading our arguments over and over again. There’s never a growing need to say, ‘Stop, you’re going overboard.'"

Nodding in agreement, Indio High's team said that the friendships they forged in the program proved key to their success in the courtroom — particularly when coping with anxiety.

"Our group chat is just constant encouragement and words of advice that have helped me get into the right mental state," Gamino said. "It’s helpful to have made so many new friends who uplift you and help you move forward.”

A way forward, and so much more

Many of the students described mock trial as the most rewarding experience they've had in high school and for a few, the experience confirmed a longtime suspicion that they want to pursue a career in criminal justice or law. But that's hardly the primary purpose of the program.

"Of course (mock trial) is great for showing you what you might want to do in the future," Abedi said. "But if there's one thing that's more important than that eloquence in public speaking and that knowledge of the law, it's knowing that if you have someone to support you, all of that becomes so much easier."

The success and impact of the mock trial is obvious to all who participated, but the students, along with their advisers, would like to see more schools in the desert fielding teams.

“We really wish that all the schools in the desert could have this program,” Sung said. "I don't know why it’s died down and I don’t know if if has to do with the amount of dedication and time. I mean, it does take a village. Once you decide to do it, you’re willing to invest your time in our youth."

The students were quick to point out that it wouldn't be possible without their dedicated club advisers and the attorneys who voluntarily jumped in to lend their expertise, as well as the fiscal support of the Walter Clark Legal Group.

"It's been such a pleasure finding adults who can not only teach me the basics in life, but things I'm genuinely interested in. They love us and they love what we do," Gamino said. "If I — when I — get a job in law, I'm going to call (Sung) as soon as possible."

The club advisers pointed out that it's usually the high-achieving students who gravitate toward mock trial — the movers and shakers, the kids involved in every possible club.

"But what's so beautiful about the program is when you see an average kid who has never been involved in anything. Perhaps they're shy and dying to learn how to express themselves and speak for themselves," Sung said. "It's such a beautiful thing. I just wish that all of our valley kids would have the same opportunity to experience that."

Mazet proudly pointed out that students went from "being sort of shy little freshmen during the Zoom year (due to the COVID-19 pandemic)" to seniors who argue with the judges over constitutional law.

"They come in their first year and they think, 'Oh wait, I have to work really hard and I could be embarrassed.' That factor scares a lot of people off," he said, "but I see the rewards."

To that point, Gamino said while she "chickened out" from joining mock trial in her freshman year, the experience helped her find her voice.

"Maybe I would have kept silent about something that bothered me," she said, "but now I know how to speak on it and make my voice heard. To see how far I've come and how far my friends have come, I'm just beyond grateful for mock trial."

Jennifer Cortez covers education in the Coachella Valley. Reach her at jennifer.cortez@desertsun.com.

This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Palm Desert High School mock trial team makes the 'Elite Eight'