In their sixteenth consecutive trip to the State Mock Trial Tournament, the Shorewood High School (SHS) Varsity Mock Trial team competed and took home first place in the State Tournament, which is now the fifth time in the school's history to achieve this feat. The team will now be advancing to the 2019 National Mock Trial Tournament in Athens, Georgia, May 16-19. A GoFundMe fundraising campaign has been launched to support the costs of the team's travel and accommodations.
The winning team includes Will Aldana, Kate Cheever, Cal Curran, Lena Essak, Nick Howland, Bobby Joehnke, Jenna Just, Owen Manion, Peter Mitchell and Bella Rivera. SHS teacher Deb Schwinn has coached the team for 10 years and her co-coaches, attorneys Nathan Bayer and Jasmyne Baynard, have a long history with the team as well.
The road to State Champions was a long and challenging one which began back in the fall. The time commitment was big and right from the start, student team members were practicing roughly three days at six hours a week.
The first big competition the group worked up to was the Milwaukee Regional Tournament in mid-February. Shorewood fielded three teams—Varsity (Red), Junior Varsity (Grey) and the largely freshman team (Greyhounds)—and competed against 13 other teams from around the area. At the end of the competition, the Red team remained undefeated, clenching a spot in the State tournament.
The winning team includes Will Aldana, Kate Cheever, Cal Curran, Lena Essak, Nick Howland, Bobby Joehnke, Jenna Just, Owen Manion, Peter Mitchell and Bella Rivera. SHS teacher Deb Schwinn has coached the team for 10 years and her co-coaches, attorneys Nathan Bayer and Jasmyne Baynard, have a long history with the team as well.
The road to State Champions was a long and challenging one which began back in the fall. The time commitment was big and right from the start, student team members were practicing roughly three days at six hours a week.
The first big competition the group worked up to was the Milwaukee Regional Tournament in mid-February. Shorewood fielded three teams—Varsity (Red), Junior Varsity (Grey) and the largely freshman team (Greyhounds)—and competed against 13 other teams from around the area. At the end of the competition, the Red team remained undefeated, clenching a spot in the State tournament.
The Red team, consisting of ten Shorewood, seniors next traveled to Madison March 8-10, where they competed alongside 22 other teams from 11 regions in the State Tournament. Shorewood beat out Oshkosh West, Brookfield Academy, Lodi, and Superior to take a spot as a finalist vs. Whitefish Bay. The finals took place in the State Capitol Building’s Joint Finance Committee room, and after an intense trial, Shorewood won by a landslide, claiming the title of 2019 State Champions. Student member, Bella Riviera was also given the “Best Witness Award” at the Mock Trial Banquet.
“The kids worked really hard and we were all so delighted that their hard work paid off,” says Deb Schwinn. “The team was undefeated all season. What a dynamite way to end their mock trial career with back-to-back state championships and another trip to nationals.”'
The team is now full speed ahead with preparations for the National Tournament. They will receive a new case at midnight on April 1st, and will begin prepping immediately.
