Pacific Coast High mock trial team takes second in OC final

Pacific Coast High School’s Mock Trial team finished runner-up in Saturday’s championship round of the Constitutional Rights Foundation’s Orange County High School Mock Trial Competition.

In what was supposed to be a rebuilding year for PCHS, an independent study program administered by OCDE, the team went on an incredible streak that saw it come close to winning the county competition.

Students pose for photo in a courtroom“We are so proud of what these students were able to accomplish,” said Principal Machele Kilgore. “Out of 45 teams and 106 competitions, to make it to the last two teams in the final round, that is a very impressive accomplishment.”

PCHS, based in Tustin, operates similar to a community college, offering rigorous online and on-campus academic courses.

PCHS lost a tough final match against a team from Veritas Classical Academy.

Mock Trial is a civic education program that combines performance-based, law-related education with tournament-style, academic competition. High school students, working in teams under the guidance of volunteer attorney coaches and teachers, analyze the facts of a hypothetical criminal court case, prepare trial strategy and enact every role in the trial proceedings, as members of either the prosecution or defense.