During the first two weeks of November, Rosary Academy’s Mock Trial Team competed in two rounds of trials at the Central Justice Center in Santa Ana. For many on the team, it was their first competition ever, and for others, it was their first time competing in person. After three long months of practice, the time to compete finally arrived.

On Wednesday, Nov. 2, our prosecution team went up against Troy High School. Our attorneys for the evening were Tahlia Jain ‘26, Grace Raskopf ‘25, Nahomi Saito ‘25, and Savina Padilla ‘25, and our witnesses were Shelby Villalobos ‘25, Nicole Ortiz ‘23, Kateri Hodge ‘26, and Gia Cota ‘26. Genesis Lopez ‘23 was our time-keeper, and let us tell you: you aren’t good at math until you’ve had to keep track of time during a 2-hour trial, so props to her! Nerves filled the room, but everyone on prosecution presented their case amazingly. We couldn’t help but notice that we had a whole legal team of Elle Woodses. The next day, we got the great news that we had won!

We were on to the next round–the courts hadn’t seen the last of us!

For round two on Nov. 11, our defense team went up against La Quinta High School. Defense attorneys included Melanie Kamel ‘24, Eliana Guillen ‘23, Grace Raskopf ‘25, and Mia Paquette ‘26, our witnesses were Camila Zavala ‘23, Sofia Velasco ‘26, and Marcelena Rau ‘24, and the defendant was Caela Cabal ‘23. As defense witnesses, we can attest to the pre-trial jitters. Palms were sweaty, knees were weak, and arms were heavy. Direct-examinations between attorneys and witnesses are like scenes straight out of a soap drama, and based on our performance that night, we surely have the talent to audition for an episode of “Days of our Lives.”

Additionally, our fierce bailiff Valeria Avila ‘24 effortlessly controlled the room with her authoritative voice which wowed our presiding judge. Most importantly, attorneys did such an amazing job that I (Caela) was found not guilty on all counts!

Furthermore, our courtroom artist, Gabrielle Lazo ‘25, blew everyone away with her art, and everyone was huddled around her trying to get a peek at her masterpiece.

Fortunately, everyone’s A+ performance secured us yet another win. Congratulations to our team! Our wins are truly a testament to all of the hard work we’ve been putting in over these past few months.

We have two more competitions next week on Nov. 14 and 16 before moving onto the championship rounds, so come out and support your fellow Royals! Follow the RA Mock Trial Team on Instagram @rosarymocktrial for more info and updates.