Photo courtesy of East Islip School District
East Islip High School’s mock trial team recently placed an impressive third at the 50th annual Long Island Law Day tournament at Northport High School. Sponsored by Project PATCH, the New York State Bar Foundation and Touro Law School, the competition challenges teams through six rounds of fast-paced civil law trials. In each round, students are given a new fact pattern and 15 minutes to prepare an entire legal case. The format tests students’ knowledge of the law and their ability to think on their feet and speak extemporaneously. East Islip made it to the semifinals and finished third overall.
East Islip students who competed at Law Day were Cora Capellino, Michael Collina, Delaney Demasi, Julia Fink, Erin McLoughlin, Ava Micheli, Hanna Ross, Catherine Sause, Niko Stavropoulos and Olivia Stepanenko. Presiding over the semifinals round, U.S. Circuit Judge Joseph Bianco praised the students’ legal reasoning, objections and courtroom etiquette, saying that they were as capable as any young attorneys he has seen in his courtroom.
“This tournament marked the end of another high-achieving season for East Islip mock trial,” said team adviser Patsy Lester. “We’re so grateful for the enthusiastic support of our administration, the board of education and the community, without which we would be unable to enjoy such success.”
“Congratulations to the mock trial students on their success,” Assistant Superintendent for Human Resources and Administration Dr. Aileen O’Rourke said. “They should all be proud of their incredible efforts.”
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