St. Vincent recognizes Westmoreland high school students in mock trial competition

Students from three Westmoreland high schools were recognized for their performance at a mock trial competition at Saint Vincent College last month.

Hosted by the college for more than five years, the competition assesses students on their ability to form and deliver opening statements and closing arguments in a hypothetical court case, said Saint Vincent law professor Bruce Antkowiak.

Antkowiak designs the case, and faculty from the college’s criminology department supply videos of mock witness testimony.

More than 30 students from seven schools — Derry Area, Franklin Regional, Greensburg Central Catholic, Greensburg Salem, Kiski Area and Norwin — participated in the competition at the Unity college.

Jared Miller from Penn-Trafford placed first in the opening statement category, and Greensburg Salem’s Anna Spigarelli tied Penn-Trafford’s Eliza Kleinschmidt for second place.

Ian Smith from Greensburg Salem won the closing argument category, and Franklin Regional’s Riley Blatz placed second.

“It was a lot of fun,” said Miller, a senior. “I like competing against all the various schools we’ll see at the normal mock trial season.”

A captain for Penn-Trafford’s mock trial team, Miller said he feels his teammates’ performance in the competition bodes well for a strong season.

“The rest of the team did great,” he said. “It’s great to see them compete, and it’s great to see what they do there, because it gives me an idea what they’ll do in the rest of our season.”

Greensburg Salem mock trial coach Kristen Solomon said the competition allows students to develop their skills and prepare for the mock trial season, which kicks off in November.

“The students’ hard work and dedication are evident in their accomplishments at the event,” Solomon said. “These awards not only highlight their individual talents, but also reflect the supportive environment we foster here in our mock trial class at Greensburg Salem High School.”

Antkowiak treats the competition as a teaching moment, offering his time to educate students on legal topics.

“It’s a great opportunity for students to learn something about advocacy, public speaking and — particularly if students are interested in pursuing a career in the law — it’s a great opportunity for them to get a taste of it at this point early on in their career,” he said.

But mock trial benefits a broader audience than students interested in law careers.

Christina Wukich, gifted education teacher at Penn-Trafford, said mock trial teaches students skills like self-advocacy that serve them beyond the courtroom.

“I’ve had students come back through the years and thank me for giving me those skills because they use them in their toolbox everyday,” she said.

Learning how to develop a compelling argument is especially important in navigating political discussions leading up to the election, Antkowiak said.

“I understand the passion with which many people approach many of the issues that are before people today, and I appreciate that,” he said. “The problem is using various forms of advocacy that in essence are little more than personal attacks on the people that disagree with you.

“If you are trying to convince people who right now are undecided,” he said, “I don’t know that something that is simply a rousing ad hominem attack on others is really the way to adequately or properly convince someone in the rightness of your position.”

Mock trial also exposes students to skills they are likely to use in any career field, Antkowiak said.

“The basics of many, many career positions you can be in is you have to make a statement,” he said. “You have to be an advocate — whether you are advocating to a court or advocating to a government agency, advocating to a superior in your particular business or company about a policy to pursue or not to pursue.”