El Dorado High School’s mock trial team, representing the Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District, is advancing to the 2025 California Mock Trial State Finals after winning the Orange County championship.
The tournament, hosted by Teach Democracy — formerly known as the Constitutional Rights Foundation — will take place March 14 through March 16 in Los Angeles, where teams from 36 counties will compete for the state title.
The local competition was coordinated by the Constitutional Rights Foundation, Orange County, or CRF-OC, a nonprofit that promotes civic literacy and leadership through interactive programs. Mock trials are a signature offering, giving students hands-on experience with the judicial system while building analytical, communication and civic engagement skills.
El Dorado High’s 23-member team earned its spot at state with strong legal reasoning, public speaking and teamwork. Competing as attorneys and witnesses, students analyze strategies and present arguments before judges. This year’s case, People v. Gold, follows the trial of a political campaign manager accused of kidnapping a rival candidate.
To prepare for the state finals, the team has been refining its arguments, sharpening legal knowledge and reinforcing teamwork. Their coach, Sunshine Cavalluzzi, knows firsthand the impact of the program — she is an alumna of both El Dorado and its mock trial team. Now in her 24th year coaching, she said the students’ dedication extends beyond competition.
“It’s been an absolute gift to watch this team of Hawks execute that mission every practice and every trial,” Cavalluzzi said. “I can’t wait to see them bring it to the state tournament!”
The winning team at the California Mock Trial State Finals will advance to the National High School Mock Trial Championship in May.
Here are the other stories we’ve been following this week:
- Julianne Hoefer, who has been with the Ocean View School District since 2018, was unanimously appointed superintendent on Feb. 11 after serving as interim leader.
- The Orange County Department of Education and Vanguard University’s Global Center for Women and Justice will host the 2025 Ensure Justice conference on March 7-8 in Costa Mesa, focusing on human trafficking prevention and protective strategies for youth.
- The Capistrano Unified School District will open a new TK-8 school in Rancho Mission Viejo’s Rienda village by fall 2027 to accommodate growing enrollment, with funding covered by developer fees and state matching dollars.
- Troy High School’s Science Olympiad Team A won first place at the MIT Science Olympiad Invitational on Jan. 25, marking the school’s seventh team title in eight appearances at the event.
- Six local continuation high schools have been named Model Continuation High Schools for 2025 by the California Department of Education, recognizing their efforts to provide flexible scheduling, tailored instruction and counseling services to students at risk of not graduating.
- The 2025 Orange County Music and Arts Administrators Awards, hosted by OCDE in partnership with the Segerstrom Center for the Arts, honored 63 educators, administrators and advocates on Feb. 12 for their contributions to arts education in the county.
- Newport Beach teen Ryan Honary has developed an autonomous wildfire detection system that uses solar-powered sensors and artificial intelligence to identify and alert firefighters to potential fires, with the first units recently deployed in Laguna Canyon as part of a pilot program with the Orange County Fire Authority.
- Faced with budget deficits and declining enrollment, some California school districts are offering early retirement incentives to cut costs, but experts warn the departures of veteran educators could lead to more under-prepared teachers in high-needs classrooms.
- According to the OC Register, Southern California education officials are raising concerns about potential funding disruptions after the Trump Administration proposed dissolving the U.S. Department of Education, which distributes billions in federal aid to schools, particularly for special education and low-income student programs.
- More than 400 students at Valencia Park Elementary in Fullerton received new coats through a partnership between Ocean Subaru of Fullerton, Operation Warm, and Giving Children Hope, providing warmth and a sense of dignity for children from low-income families.
- The Los Angeles Unified School District implemented a cellphone ban on Feb. 13 across about 800 schools, with half requiring students to lock up or surrender their phones and the other half relying on an honor system. The goal is to reduce distractions and improve student focus.
- According to the Associated Press, the Trump Administration has given schools and universities two weeks to eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives or risk losing federal funding, citing the 2023 U.S. Supreme Court decision on race in college admissions as legal justification.
- The Santa Ana Unified School District settled a lawsuit with Jewish advocacy groups over allegations that it violated open meeting laws while developing ethnic studies courses, agreeing to pause the courses after this school year until they are redesigned with public input, according to the OC Register.
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