Imagine someone running for student body president. Their only goal is to improve funding for an important program or, perhaps, to create a better prom theme to benefit peers. Suddenly they are being called to court over a few misconstrued posts on social media. Their future is completely at stake. This is the case the LHS Mock Trial team was given this year.
On January 27, the Lancers team once again proved their level of dedication and commitment to the program. The team took on the highest-ranked team in the county, only narrowly losing by 9 points.
The loss comes after two consecutive victories by the Lancers, in which they beat the other schools by a total of 39 points.
Great persistence has been shown throughout the entire season by junior captain Ellowyn Ojeda alongside senior captain Abigail Landhal, and re-demonstrated constantly by the team through lots of hard work.
“We’re all important and have a role to play,” said Ojeda, when talking about the team structure. “A lot of note cards, some crying and a lot of prep went into this year,” Landhal added, referring to the preparation her team has done to get ready for the season.
The Mock Trial team has their fourth and fifth competitions this coming week, one on February 4 at Frederick High School and the second on February 5 at the Frederick County courthouse. Their goal is to make the playoffs this year, something Linganore has not accomplished since before the Covid-19 pandemic.
The team, which consists of both a prosecution and defense, attributes much of their success to the bond created between teammates.
“I think we have really great team chemistry this year, and we’re all doing really amazingly,” said senior Lucy Arnold, a participant on the team since her sophomore year.
“I feel really good about this year,” senior Nicholas Killway added.
The team is coached by former lawyer and LHS social studies teacher Jamie Hendi, with the occasional input of English teacher Susan Peterson, who previously served as an advisor.
“I’ve been doing this for a long time […] but I feel like this team this year is really good, and I do feel like we have a great shot at making the playoffs,” said Hendi, showing her optimism for the advancement of the team.
