By Nancy Azzam

The Granada Hills Charter (GHC) Mock Trial team has taken their County competition season into December, placing third in their semifinal round of the Constitutional Rights Foundation (CRF) Los Angeles County competition at the Stanley Mosk Courthouse in downtown Los Angeles on December 2. 

The fictional case for this season is called People v. Gold. It involves two political candidates, one of whom was kidnapped by their opposition’s spouse. The motives were love and money. They wanted their spouse to win the election, making it more likely their hotel business would thrive. 

The defense argued that the person being accused was framed or that the kidnapping was a fake and the candidates kidnapped themselves. 

The defense is tasked with creating a more elaborate story, whereas the prosecution has the task of proving beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant committed this crime.

The Mock Trials teams of LA County will compete against each other on this same case throughout their competition season. Every school has a different theory and a different way of arguing their point in the case. Although it is the same witnesses each time, each team argues.

“Mock Trial has been one of the most fulfilling experiences of my time in high school. In just two years, I was so proud to be able to take our team from not making it past the first round to placing second in LA County,” senior Steven Chaparyan said. “I loved building a family that I could trust and work together with, and this team has helped me gain the skills I’ll need for a successful future.”

Together, the Mock Trial team analyzes the facts of hypothetical criminal court cases, prepares trial strategy, and enacts every role in the trial proceedings, as members of either the prosecution or defense. Formed in 2022 as a club, the program has greatly expanded to become an official academic team and to include two teams, A and B. 

Team A achieved third place overall out of over 100 schools in the entire LA county. Team B made it to the third round, as one of the top 16 teams. The team’s seniors and founders have left quite a legacy for upcoming Mock Trial teams. 

Last year, the team placed second in all of Los Angeles County and received eighth place in the International Mock Trial Competition. They have evolved to become one of the strongest academic teams at GHC. 

As a team, they have grown closer than ever, led by captains Emma Kavcioglu, Annette Aucamp, Steven Chaparyan, and Patrick Kobramasihi, who are directing Teams A and B in their successful season. Taking part in the competition season, scrimmages, and even school events placing 4th in Dodgeball Inferno, the team has been capable of excelling together in ways that other Mock Trial teams have not been able to. 

Not only this but they have been able to place well for as long as it has been a program without the utilities of other schools across Los Angeles County. 

“This dynamic in and out of the courtroom is astonishing as we can work so well together,” junior Bella Simon said. “Something about this team that makes us so special from all of the over 100 teams competing in Mock Trial is that we are putting in the work outside of school time. Many of the other schools also have Mock Trial as a class in their schedules. We don’t have any extra resources or availability.”