Huntington Topples West Islip in Mock Trial Match
The Huntington High School mock trial team has been perfect this winter, winning all four of its matches against Suffolk high schools on its way to qualifying for the county playoffs.
Huntington’s most recent victory came in a match last week against West Islip. With an appearance in the Suffolk Sweet 16 round already assured, team members were able to employ a few new strategies prior to laying it on the line in the single elimination playoffs.
The Huntington team consists of Sabrina Palacios, Spencer Pashkin, Dylan Aloe, Holly LoTurco, Max Robbins, Yardalie Daniel, Janelle Fore, Ekaterina Koulakova, Melissa Lopez, Cole Blackburn, Lena Scarpulla and courtroom bailiff Julio Colon-Barbosa.
Local attorneys John LoTurco and Xavier Palacios have volunteered countless hours prepping trial team members for competition. Business teacher Suzie Biagi serves as the group’s faculty advisor.
The team has scheduled an intra-squad mock trial featuring its prosecution and defense teams battling each other. The event is set for this Thursday (March 10) at 6 p.m. in the School Heritage Museum at the high school. Suffolk District Court Judge Marian Tinari will preside. The scrimmage is designed to keep team members sharp for the upcoming Sweet 16 round that begins on March 16. The public is welcome to attend this week’s trial along with current students who might be interested in joining the program next year.
Huntington’s trial team is only in its second year, but it has compiled a 10-1 record during that time. Sponsored by the New York State Bar Foundation, this year’s statewide case involves pre-trial search and seizure Fourth Amendment issues pertaining to a narcotics prosecution.
Against West Islip, the Huntington courtroom warriors represented defendant Kelly Roberts. At the conclusion of the match, the judge was required to rule on the merits of the case “whereby, in this instance, she found in our favor that the evidence should be suppressed based upon the police department’s violation of the defendant’s Fourth Amendment rights against unreasonable search and seizures when they broke down the defendant’s door of her apartment alleging that they observed a narcotics transaction on a street corner and chased the defendant to her home,” Mr. LoTurco said.
“Dangerous Situation”
The prosecution’s theory was that it believed it was a “dangerous situation” because police also observed that the defendant was in possession of a knife and may have taken a hostage. “However, we successfully argued that there was no true emergency exception to the search warrant rule in that there was no concrete evidence of a hostage situation, but rather it was clear the intent of the police officer was merely to arrest the defendant,” Mr. LoTurco said.
The judge also issued a ruling on the competition itself, which related to the final team score. Each performance from the opening statement to the direct and cross examinations and the closing arguments are assessed a score of one to five. Witnesses are also scored on a one to five basis. Against West Islip, Huntington emerged with a four point victory once the scores were tabulated.
Team members feel very positive about their trial team experience. “The team in general is really like a big family,” Ms. Palacios said. “We love cheering each other on and are genuinely happy to see each other win our competitions. We’re all hoping that we can continue our season and our winning streak!”
This year’s four consecutive victories have given team members a healthy degree of confidence. “This was our last round before the playoffs and we were already in it before this competition so we decided to just have fun with it and test some things out with our lines,” Ms. Lopez said. “Our team is great. It’s a lot of fun and very helpful for anyone who wants to go into law or acting, like I do. I play a crazy witness and it is fun to be in character.”
“All Worked so Diligently”
Winning always has a way of making participants in any activity feel good and Huntington’s trial team is no different. “Our victories in the four preliminary competitions have been truly rewarding as we have all worked so diligently to get to this point,” Ms. LoTurco said. “Each trial is such an amazing experience and I have already learned so much regarding both the criminal justice system and public speaking in general. My teammates, in conjunction with Mr. Palacios and my dad, have all put in a tremendous amount of effort over the past couple of months and I am very excited to see where the next competition will take us.”
The teenagers are pleased with the most recent match and appear poised for a strong playoff run. “The team played excellent in the win against West Islip,” Mr. Aloe said. “Both lawyers and witnesses were phenomenal.”
Team members are participating in the initiative for a variety of reasons. “Being a part of this team has allowed me to further actualize my dream of becoming a lawyer,” Ms. Scarpulla said. “It is an eye opening experience that promotes teamwork, determination and hard work, while molding future leaders. The skills that my teammates and I have gained throughout this process will lead us to be successful in our future endeavors.”
Some students were somewhat apprehensive about participating on the team, but whatever concerns they might have had evaporated. “Being the second year in mock trial, I can say without a doubt I am glad I joined the club,” Ms. Fore said. “I will admit at first I was hesitant about joining the club because public speaking wasn’t something I felt like I could do well. However, being in the club has not only helped me during the competitions, but outside the club and has helped me gain more confidence in myself.”
“Surrounded by Super Talented and Smart Peers”
West Islip proved to be a formidable foe, but Huntington was clearly up for the challenge. “The trial went very well,” said Mr. Blackburn following the victory over West Islip. “Holly started the trial off with a bang as she gave her opening statement and I kept the momentum rolling with multiple objections to the prosecution’s first witness of Detective Flanagan and proceeded to cross examine the detective very successfully. The rest of the trial went smoothly as well. Spencer Pashkin, who played the role of Parker Pederson and I performed a great direct examination. I also finished off the competition with my closing arguments.”
The trial team’s members have come to respect and admire one another. “Being part of the mock trial team, I have found myself surrounded by super talented and smart peers that I otherwise would not have had the chance to come in contact with,” Ms. Koulakova said. “I have also greatly enjoyed receiving mentorship and support from John LoTurco and Mr. Palacios.”
As the season churns on, the team’s legal and faculty advisors are happy with the growth of each participant. “I am extremely proud of this teams’ success as each member has worked diligently, spending in excess of 100 hours of preparation time, which included evening and Sunday practices,” Mr. LoTurco said. “Going undefeated in our first two seasons of this program is a testament to each students’ worth ethic and a demonstration of their ability to receive constructive criticism from our trial advisers as well as the competition judges.”
The team and its advisors expect the county playoff round to feature increasingly intense competition. The teenagers are preparing to meet that challenge.
“It is our hope that the Huntington High School mock trial program has established itself as an extra-curricular activity for students to gain public speaking skills in pressurized competitive settings, which should benefit them in their chosen careers and may include inspiring students to become interested in a legal career,” Mr. LoTurco said.