CDS Team Captures 2nd Place in Judges’ Cup Mock Trial Tournament
By Dave Downer
The annual Judges’ Cup was held in the court chambers of the Newmarket Courthouse on April 29 and 30. The competition hosted 24 York Region schools who took part in two trials, taking on the role of prosecution in one and defence in the other. The Country Day School team competed on the second day against Keswick High and Unionville SS.
This is the largest tournament in the province and the only one to be heard by actual judges in a working courthouse. The cases are developed by the Ontario Justice Education Network and are tried by students in tournaments across the province. The experience is both nerve-wracking and exhilarating for the participants.
Our Mock Trial team has been rigorously preparing since December and had a full complement of 4 lawyers and 4 witnesses. This year’s case was one of criminal harassment of a university student, who is a social media influencer, dealing with both unwanted in-person attention and online commentaries. The case planners plant all sorts of ‘seeds’ which, if argued properly, could sway a case one way or the other. The group had to quickly become experts on the components of consent, public spaces, and what separates ‘undesirable’ actions from those that are ‘criminal’. The competitors are given points for their legal argumentation and for how well they portrayed their roles as lawyers and witnesses.
Only the top four schools in the competition advanced to the finals, and the CDS Team was one of them. On May 6, CDS returned to the Newmarket courthouse to do two more trials. In the first case, CDS took on Brother Andre from Markham and had the role of defence. In the final match-up, CDS was against Newmarket’s Sir William Mulock as the Crown. Both trials were hard-fought and intense proceedings, much like watching the Wimbledon finals. Following the trials the teams had to nervously await the judges’ deliberations. CDS was elated to find out that they had taken second place, a testament to the hard work they put in this year.
Our eight students who went to trial in the tournament were assisted by several student ‘law clerks’ from the Mock Trial club who helped with research and rehearsal. The group is grateful for the valuable advice and assistance provided by Christine Budweth-Mingay, a retired lawyer (and aunt of Olivia Budweth), and to Jeff Hershberg, a lawyer and parent of a Grade 5 CDS student.
This year’s team competitors were: Mariella Tsiolis (captain) ‘26, Olivia Budweth ‘25, Ananya Kapur ‘26, Kenisha Malik ‘26, Joah Khalil ‘26, Brooke Powell ‘26, Gali Dodgson ‘26 and Oleg Popov ‘28. Coach David Downer is extremely proud of this group for its exceptional accomplishments.
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.
