Lillith Dunn
eSomethin staff
After a long season of practices and tournaments, the Perrysburg High School Mock Trial team qualified for the state competition for the first time since 2019.
During the season, the team met once a week on Wednesdays for two hours to practice and discuss the case materials.
“So the first thing we do is we review all of our like materials, like the case law and the witness statements, going over basically everything that’s attributed to the case,” explained Avnish Shendge, a sophomore attorney.
This year’s case regarded free speech and AI content, as well as what is considered parody versus defamation. The plaintiff, fictional Denver Saidi, was suing a high school senior over an AI video they made regarding Saidi’s campaign.
“My favorite part about this year’s case is how interesting it is; it can be seen it either way, and [that] really just adds another level of depth,” said Camryn Bruderly, a freshman and expert witness for the PHS team.
However, the case is not without its difficulties.
Allison Harrold, a sophomore attorney said, “I find that the hardest part about any case in general is collaborating with your team members and coming to find common ground within everybody. I feel like it’s been easier this year, but it’s always been something that it’s always been a roadblock.”
The group made it to the second round of competition, defeating Keystone High School’s defense team. After a close competition with last year’s state finalists, Springfield High School, Perrysburg’s defense did not make it to the quarterfinals.
Ella Hahn, the junior Mock Trial president and attorney, said, “I felt really good about our states performance. . . . I was so glad that I had helped our team move to the second round. It was really fun, and our defense side did pretty good too.”
Despite not moving on to the third round of competition, the Perrysburg team did not leave without some awards.
Sophomore prosecution witness Annie Sawaya and sophomore defense witness Luella Eynon both won Outstanding Witness awards.
Sophomore Luella Eynon preforms her cross examination during the second round of State competition. Eynon played an expert parodist in this year’s case. “It was an incredible moment. I’d never won an Outstanding Witness award before, sp I was so happy to finally get one,” Eynon said.
With these awards, all four witnesses on the Perrysburg team won an Outstanding Witness award during a competition.
Bruderly, who won her award during Regional competition said, “It was really rewarding and honestly, kind of shocking. We had some tough competitors, but I really think that it shows the effort and the compassion that we put into it. And I was really pleased with the outcome.”
Hahn concluded, “Everyone on the team puts in a fantastic amount of effort to get where they are . . . so I’ve had any help I needed when it comes to anything and everything on the team.”
Other stories on eSomethin:
- Business is booming: Maker-Preneurship is a business and production class at Perrysburg High School
- PHS Mock Trial Team Finds Historic Success At State Competition
- KKK flyers found in downtown Perrysburg, surrounding areas raise concerns for hate group revival in Wood County
- RubyCats provides a community for cats and people to connect in downtown Toledo
- A “papercut” in learning: printing reductions in place at Perrysburg Schools
