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For the first time in nearly a year, Luverne High School mock trial members met as a team for an in-person trial performance Thursday night, Feb. 18, at Grand Prairie Events in Luverne.
The 13 students presented a trial showcase for parents in preparation for next week’s state competition.
Through masks and limited movement in front of a podium, students were together in the same room for the first time since the last state tournament in March 2020.
“Even though it has been a weird season, I was happy to have a season,” said senior Simon Boyenga.
The Minnesota State Bar Association canceled all in-person competitions traditionally conducted in area courtrooms. Instead, the 2021 competitions were online through Zoom, due to COVID-19 social distancing.
The Luverne team practiced in small groups or on Zoom and competed at home in front of their personal computers.
LHS compiled a 5-0 record for the current season and will compete virtually at the March 3-4 state competition with 15 other schools. LHS students will continue to compete from home.
Senior Kaitlyn Anderson said Thursday’s practice was different because the lawyers were able to pass notes directly to one another during the trial.
When competing through Zoom, students type into a Google document open alongside the Zoom window, and the notes instantly appear on the attorney team’s screens.
In the Zoom window, only the lawyers completing the direct or cross-examinations can be seen along with the testifying witness and the presiding judge.
Virtual completion has some positives, Anderson said.
“It’s hard to focus while on Zoom, but the nervousness is not there,” Anderson said. “Once the cameras are off, you can relax.”
Anderson, an attorney for the defense, uses her time off camera to note weaknesses in the prosecution’s case. She performs the closing arguments for Luverne’s three-person defense team.
“I like public speaking,” she said. “And it (mock trial) is so competitive.”
Adviser Jason Berghorst told those attending Thursday’s showcase the success of Luverne’s program is due to the time students put in researching, memorizing facts and working with each other to present a strong case either for the prosecution or the defense.
“It’s all about the students,” Berghorst said. “They are the strategists. They are the ones preparing what they will be saying.”
The 2021 season opened in October with the release of the season’s court case, “Payton Knox vs Nixon Lodge and Catering Inc.”
Jeff Haubrich is the lawyer coach for LHS.
“It is a very interesting case that looked at a force majeure clause and, as an attorney, I don’t think I’ve looked at cases like this since law school,” he said.
The case centered around the chaos created by the new COVID-19 health restrictions for a planned July 2020 wedding, and a contract agreement between the groom, Payton Knox, and the venue, Nixon Lodge.
Each side is seeking monetary damages from the contractual provision that relieves both parties from their contractual obligations due to circumstances beyond anyone’s control.
Luverne students are making their seventh-straight team appearance in the state Mock Trial Tournament. They earned the return trip Feb. 10 when the LHS prosecution team won a 3-0 win decision from judges over Albert Lea High School.
Luverne will compete in three rounds at the virtual state tournament. Round 1 will start at 2 p.m. on March 3 followed by a 7 p.m. Round 2. The final round takes place at 9 a.m. March 4.
The final championship trial will be live-streamed on YouTube at 2 p.m. March 4 followed by the live-streamed announcement of the state champion at 5 p.m.