Mock Trial Club Students Hold Court in Newmarket
Earlier this week CDS entered a team in the Judges’ Cup, a mock trial tournament held at the Superior Court of Justice in Newmarket.
The day featured an open house with displays put on by various policing groups including the RCMP, tactical squads, drug squads, a canine unit and police college programs. The teams were piped into the York Region Headquarters chamber where they listened to addresses by judges, attorneys, a police chief, various dignitaries and a past competition winner. After the ceremonies the students proceeded to the courthouse to take part in two trials.
This is the second year that CDS has participated and it is both challenging and exhilarating for the students. Twenty schools took part in the competition this year. The teams are provided with the cases several months in advance and the students analyze the legal aspects, developing lines of questioning or plausible witness roles. The students do not know if they are prosecuting or defending the case until minutes before the start when a law clerk flips a coin. Their examination, cross-examination and performances are scored by actual judges who also provide the students with oral feedback on their style. The event combines acting, analysis, organization and the ability to respond to unexpected developments in testimony.
As of this writing, the rankings have not been released. While each of the CDS students received praise for how they handled themselves during the trial, Natalie Ganzhorn will recieve a prize this evening for her performance as a witness. This team was comprised of: Amanda Jones – Grade 12 (captain and lawyer), Jessy Rosen – Grade 12 (lawyer), Elena Shlepova – Grade 11 (lawyer), David Cohn – Grade 11 (lawyer), Allison Dickson – Grade 11 (witness), Sabrina Tarzia – Grade 11 (witness) and Natalie Ganzhorn – Grade 10 (witness). Coaches David Downer and Sarah Hudson, as well as observers Nate Allen and Daniel Rajkumar were there cheering on the team.
The CDS team will enter a second tournament, the Ontario Bar Association regionals, held at Middlefield Collegiate in Markham on Tuesday, April 1. This group will feature an almost entirely different line-up drawn from the Mock Trial club.
Land Acknowledgment
The Country Day School wishes to recognize and acknowledge the land on which the school operates. Our nearest Indigenous Nations are now the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation and the Chippewas of Georgina Island. The Dish with One Spoon Wampum covenant is often cited as an example of the shared responsibility for caring for these lands among the Huron-Wendat, Anishinaabe and Haudenosaunee peoples who would call these their traditional territories. CDS respects the relationship with these lands and recognizes that our connection to this land can be strengthened by our continued relationship with all First Nations, by acknowledging our shared responsibility to respect and care for the land and waters for future generations.
School Information
Junior, Middle and Senior Schools
13415 Dufferin Street, King, Ontario L7B 1K5
(905) 833-1220
communications@cds.on.ca
admissions@cds.on.ca
Founded in 1972, The Country Day School is a co-educational private school offering programs in JK-12 and located on 100 acres north of Toronto in King.
13415 Dufferin Street, King, Ontario L7B 1K5
(905) 833-1220
communications@cds.on.ca
admissions@cds.on.ca
Founded in 1972, The Country Day School is a co-educational private school offering programs in JK-12 and located on 100 acres north of Toronto in King.
