By Megha Poddar’15, Staff Writer

With a team composed of only one senior, two juniors, and nine sophomores, Newark Academy Mock Trial can now boast this year’s Essex County title, after beating rival Seton Hall Prep in a heated matchup. In the club, students undergo a simulation of the judiciary system in America, while developing strong critical-thinking and acting skills.  Ms. Gordon, a new faculty advisor, commented, “I was so surprised by the amount of legal information the students were actually familiar with and how they were able to whole-heartedly embrace their characters with this information.”

Going into this year’s season, the odds were against Newark Academy as the majority of the team was made up of sophomores, who didn’t participate in Mock Trial as freshmen. In fact, Samantha Altschuler ’14, a lawyer for the team, explained, “The team dynamic this year was totally different from last year. We had only one senior, Trevor Williams, and only one returning witness, Ruby Gould. The rest of the witnesses were completely new.” However, even with such a young and inexperienced team, Williams ’13, who had been a member of Mock Trial since his freshmen year, noted that, “the energy and enthusiasm of the young team definitely worked to our advantage in the end.”

The pressure was on this year because for the fourth time in a row Newark Academy faced Seton Hall Prep in the finals of the Essex County Tournament. According to Mr. Hawk, the long-time faculty advisor, at first this season was intended to be a “rebuilding year” after losing many key members from last year. Despite the odds, the Academy’s Mock Trial team came out with another hard fought victory over Seton Hall. Kevin Lin ’15, a new member of Mock Trial, remarked, “Our becoming Essex County champions is unforgettable. When we (won) that final trial, everyone’s heart skipped a beat.”

Although the team did lose to Mendham in the first round of the state tournament, Williams said, “I am really proud of advancing in the tournament as far as we did. Even though the loss was disappointing, everyone put their best foot forward.” After such a successful season, he added that, “The club has built up a really strong foundation for next year.”

So in spite of the fact that the team will be losing their lone senior for next year, Altschuler commented that, “I know that we will do great next year because we’ll have had the opportunity to get to know each other and see how we work best as a team.” She and the rest of the team are looking forward to a competitive, exciting season next year.