The final championship round of the San Joaquin County Mock Trial competition took place on February 28 at the San Joaquin County Courthouse followed by an awards ceremony at the San Joaquin County Office of Education’s Federal Building. Six rounds of competition were held over two weeks at the San Joaquin County Courthouse. After rounds one through four, the top four teams vied for first-place and the right to compete in the State Competition in March in Riverside, California.
First-Place team: Venture Academy Family of Schools, San Joaquin County Office of Education (SJCOE)
Second-Place team: Tracy High School, Tracy Unified School District
Third-Place team: Stockton Early College Academy, Stockton Unified School District
Fourth-Place team: Escalon High School, Escalon Unified School District
The Honorable John F. Cruikshank, Jr. Spirit Award: Angeli Indran, Tracy High School, Tracy Unified School District
First-Place plaque for journalism: Blake Lazar, Tracy High School, Tracy Unified School District
First-Place plaque for courtroom artist: Maria Pascual, Aspire Langston Hughes Academy
Much appreciation goes to the judges and attorneys, who took time to assist with the County Mock Trial Competition.
This event is co-sponsored by the San Joaquin County Bar Association and the San Joaquin County Office of Education in cooperation with the Constitutional Rights Foundation.
Ten county high schools participated, including: ABLE Charter High School, Merrill F. West High School, Tracy High School, Venture Academy, Stockton Early College Academy, Pacific Law Academy, Escalon High School, Lincoln High School, Langston Hughes Academy and Ronald McNair High School.
The case, People v Shem, is the trial of Evan Shem, who faces one felony count, theft by larceny, for the theft of Treason, a painting by Fletcher Yazoo.