I am going to be a sophomore next year and I am transferring to a charter school for the fine arts. I’ve never been in Mock Trial before and I know close to nothing about court procedures. How do you think I can start one at my new school?
I’ve been involved in mock trial for the past two years, and it is a lot of information to absorb. At my school, it took the form of an entire semester class before you could join a team. But, with a lot of dedication, you can probably learn the basics pretty easily, and everything else has to be learned with observation and practice.
I’d start by seeing if any teachers at your school have experience with law, or approach a teacher who has coached a debate team or something similar. Official support of the team should really help get other students motivated to join. Beyond that, read cases from previous years, watch some of the better legal dramas, and maybe even find videos of previous mock trial teams that have won competitions. (I think a few such videos are out there, at least for my state). It’s mainly something you pick up by seeing other people do it well!
Find some support at your new school - it’s a really fun, really rewarding extracurricular and if you can communicate this to a teacher or other adult, you shouldn’t have too hard of a time getting some support behind it!