Mount Juliet High School takes its clubs very seriously. One club in particular, the MJHS Mock Trial team is highly competitive. They perform roles in a courtroom and compete against other schools. To find out more about what they do, we interviewed President Emma Coss.
What is Mount Juliet's Mock Trial all about?
"Mount Juliet High School Mock Trial is imitating what happens in a real courtroom."
Who can join Mock Trial club?
"Any student at Mount Juliet High School."
Are there any events or competitions coming up?
"We have a case coming out in November, with the Tennessee Bar Association, and then we'll compete in regionals around February."
How do you raise money for these competitions?
"We fundraise, we are actually coming up with a couple of ideas, we haven't settled on one yet, but an example is a bake sale.
What kind of roles can you perform other than debating, for example, if someone wants to join but they are scared of speaking, is there anything else they could do?
"They could be a timekeeper, that's one of the more quiet roles. We have a time limit on certain things, so they will raise numbers. Say we have a minute left then they tell us to end because we can get a penalty if we get out of the time slot. And then of course the other roles are attorneys and the witnesses."
And then do you have a favorite mock trial experience?
"Oh, I do. It's definitely our banquets, at the end of the year we had a dance party and catered Chick-Fil-A at the community center at Charlie Daniels Park. And we handed out weird awards like most likely to end up on a reality TV show, or most likely to marry Harry Styles."
In summary, Mount Juliet's Mock Trial is a very reputable club that can provide very practical experience if you are looking to do something in the legal field as an adult. You'll also have a lot of fun.