Okarche High School placed fourth in the Oklahoma High School Mock Trial competition.
Oklahoma Bar Association President Allen Smallwood of Tulsa said, "Okarche''s team progressed all the way to the semifinal round, which is the top eight out of 47 teams. The students should be proud of their outstanding work."
The semifinal competition was held Feb. 23 at the U.S. Western District Courthouse in Oklahoma City. The teams argued a case about cyber stalking, in which one student accuses another student''s chat room postings and Internet threats of causing emotional distress that affected academic performance, resulting in the loss of a scholarship.
The annual competition is sponsored by the OBA Young Lawyers Division and the Oklahoma Bar Foundation. Teams are paired with volunteer attorney-coaches.
The judges evaluated the students based on their familiarity of the case and the formulation of their arguments. Students received points for each phase of the trial, opening, direct and cross examination, closing argument and how well their witnesses responded.
Okarche High School''s team was coached by teachers Evelyn Grellner and Lyndal Westmoreland. Their attorney-coach was Susan Eades. Team members were Kayla Coffey, Alex Drakoulakis, Kylie Frisby, Hayden Grellner, Johnathan Himes, Conner Hufnagel, Amy Johnson, Sawyer Morford, Sam Simpson, Dillon Thornberry, Mackenzie Wilds and Mary Woodard.
The final round of competition was held last week in the Bell Courtroom at the OU Law Center in Norman. First-place winner Christian Heritage Academy of Del City will represent Oklahoma at the national competition in Philadelphia this May.
Earning second place was Ada High School, with Clinton High School taking third place.