With the banging of a gavel, the 2025-2026 mock trial season has begun, and students are working towards their day in court.
On September 2nd, the mock trial season officially started, with NDB hosting a rookie mini camp, followed by auditions and the case reveal party. This was the first time NDB hosted a training camp, and it allowed new students to obtain some general knowledge about a mock trial before practice started. Auditions are an annual part of the season in which students select their desired role and run through role-specific simulations, and the Leadership team assesses their performance. While they officially ran through the 6th and the 7th, some were asked for a callback during practices. As part of the early stages, students get to list a preference of the type of witness they would like or the side of counsel they prefer. This is something that Leadership takes into consideration, but roles and placement for NDB’s three teams, Varsity, JV, and Showcase, are still pending. However, the Leadership team has been meeting weekly to discuss each candidate, and the roles and teams were announced last week.
This is NDB’s 16th season, competing in San Mateo County, and this year’s case is a murder by poisoning. While the season has just started, one of the three coaches, who has been teaching mock trial for 16 years, shared his goals for the team. “The hopes for the team every season are always to obviously excel at the competition, but develop the skills needed, right argumentation, presentation, poise, and at the same time having a lot of fun. You know, we want mock trial to be something that everybody enjoys doing, because I always enjoyed doing it when I was in high school, and I want people to have the same experience, plus, if they’re enjoying it, that gives them an edge for competition anyway,” explained Tomczak.
Practices will run every Monday and Wednesday from 5:30-7:00, with students writing content, creating characters, or learning objections. A varsity returner mentors every student, and through this collaboration, the team will get closer and build friendships that will last a lifetime.
Aleeya Baqai, Captain of the mock trial team, is hoping to utilize practice as a way for members to discover their strengths and improve their weaknesses, with the help of leadership and fellow teammates.
Baqai also shared that she is excited for the future of the team as well as this season because of the new talent and enthusiasm joining the team.
“I’m excited for the season. I think we have a lot of new younger people as well who seem to be really excited and really talented, and so I think we have a really good mixture of people this year.” expressed Baqui.
While the season has just begun, and the team is establishing a foundation, everyone is excited about what lies ahead. As the season progresses, they will continue to work towards memorizing and perfecting their content by participating in scrimmages. Eventually, they will compete in the Redwood City courthouse or, if they are on showcase, perform in front of prospective students and parents.
