With this season’s case in hand, Huntington High School’s highly regarded mock trial team is well along in its preparations for what it hopes will be a very special year.
Now in its sixth year of existence, the Huntington courtroom team is expected to again challenge for top county honors. The mock trial competition is sponsored by the New York State Bar Association Foundation. The initiative seeks to enhance participant’s public speaking skills and inspire some to consider a legal career.
“We just received the case last Tuesday and we are already preparing our materials for competition,” senior Lena Annunziata said. “The whole team is working extremely hard to make this season a success and get that state championship, something that has been well within reach for the past three years. I’m very excited to see all the big things this team will accomplish in the near future and I am so happy to be a part of it.”
Huntington perennially fields one of the strongest mock trial teams in the state. Considering this year’s lineup of spectacular litigators and witnesses, the Blue Devils are expected to go far.
“We have just received the case for this season and are eager to jump in right away,” senior Lia Shechter said. “The team looks very promising and I’m excited to see how far we go.”
This year’s statewide case centers on criminal law. Participating teams have a schedule of four regular season matches before the top 16 enter the Suffolk tournament. Teams across New York follow a similar path along the way to determining a state champion.
“The case looks amazing this year,” senior John Panos said. “It’s something we’ve never seen before and I’m so excited to see how everything plays out. It’s so great to see everyone so involved this year. Through our dedication and hard work, I know we can take home another county championship and make Huntington proud.”
Huntington is returning a very strong team, including all of its key members from last year’s squad. At last June’s awards dinner, John Panos garnered the Most Outstanding Petitioner’s Attorney Award while Lena Annunziata captured the Most Outstanding Respondent’s Attorney Award. Erin Ye was named Rookie of the Year. Christopher Maichin was honored as the Most Outstanding Petitioner’s Witness with Emily Geller being recognized as the Most Outstanding Respondent’s Witness. Lia Shechter was presented with the Most Team Spirit Award.
With the central players and several other veterans returning and a group of sensational newcomers joining the fold, the Blue Devils are confident of fielding an exceptional team.
Volunteer legal advisors and current district residents Xavier Palacios and John H. LoTurco are once again leading the team during its preparations. Huntington High School teachers Sarah Buchalter and Suzi Biagi serve as the team’s faculty advisors
The New York State Bar Assn. Foundation believes the mock trial program “teaches students ethics, civility and professionalism; furthers students’ understanding of the law, court procedures and the legal system; improves proficiency in basic life skills, such as listening, speaking, reading and reasoning; promotes better communication and cooperation among the school community, teachers and students and members of the legal profession, and; heightens appreciation for academic studies and stimulate interest in law-related careers.”
Students learn about the rule of law; rules of evidence; proper courtroom decorum; legal terminology and civic responsibility and attitude. Participation fosters respect for the law and the legal system and an ability to view an issue from differing viewpoints.
This year’s case will require participants to master several areas of the law. A summary of the case is as follows:
“Phoenix Jones (PJ) is accused of purchasing allegedly stolen items over the Internet and using Bytecoin, the new cryptocurrency, as the payment source to shield his/her identity,” according to a case overview. “The prosecution contends that PJ, while using a fake name, would have packages of stolen goods delivered to a company offering a virtual mailing address. PJ would then hire a ride-hailing service to deliver the packages to his/her collaborator, a pawn shop, where the stolen items would be put up for sale. A federal investigator became involved after receiving a call from a postal inspector that a suspicious package had arrived at an airport post office facility. After opening and examining the contents of the package, it was suspected that the items had been stolen and transported across state lines. The investigator later determined that PJ was the perpetrator of the scheme. PJ was then arrested and charged with the federal offense of conspiring with others to receive and sell stolen goods that were conveyed through interstate commerce.”
The mock trial team’s home courtroom is in the School Heritage Museum. Then Huntington High School senior Justin LoTurco founded Huntington’s mock trial team during the 2014/15 school year. The team’s first victory came in February 2015 when it toppled Mattituck. Since then it has won the county championship and reached the state finals.