Linganore’s mock trial team made their way to the counties final competition on February 25 at Montgomery County’s Circuit Court. This is the first time the team has made it this far in competition, ever. 

Mock trial is an extracurricular that helps students grow their acting abilities and knowledge of law. Schools around the country take part in competitions against other schools in their county. Throughout the country, schools compete against one another at the county level before advancing to regional and state competitions.

The Mock Trial team is made up of defense and plaintiff teams, whose roles are assigned by the advisor based on the characters in the casebook provided by MYLaw.

Students assume  the role of either a lawyer or a witness, and a teacher(s) coaches them on rules of law as well as their courtroom decorum. 

The witnesses focus on acting and their knowledge of their role, while the lawyers focus on their knowledge of the case itself and the law. The goal being to gain more points and deduct points from the other team. An attorney acts as the judge for the case and scores both teams throughout the trial before deciding who would have won the case.

For 14 years, the mock trial team at Linganore Highschool (LHS) has been coached by Jamie Hendi, LHS social studies teacher and former attorney. The 2025-2026 season marks the first time that her team has become county champions, despite advancing to the county playoffs in multiple seasons.

Hendi’s favorite part about coaching the team is watching the kids learn more about law. She doesn’t care if her team wins, as long as the kids are having as much fun as possible while growing their skills along the way.

“Watching the learning and the enthusiasm and the growth of the kids, I just love [it],”  Hendi said. “They get so much out [of mock trial]: being part of a team, having to work cooperatively, getting along with others, all the legal strategy, [and] a lot of analytical thinking.”

LHS senior Hanna Hettinger has been on a mock trial team every year of high school, two of which she was on LHS’s team. Both years she participated in mock trial at Linganore, the team went to playoffs. This year Hettinger was the defense team’s captain. She explained that she loves being more involved in teaching the newer members and planning the practices. 

“Mock trial has taught me a lot,” said Hettinger. 

Some of what Hettinger shared that she and  other members of the mock trial team have learned include important skills such as public speaking, time management and many rules of law. 

Another LHS senior Maddison Baker has participated in mock trial before, but the 2025-2026 season was her first in a main role, a lawyer for the defense team. Baker is very proud of her team and happy that all of the hard work they have put into this case is being used.

Like Hettinger, Baker says that participating in mock trial has really improved her professionalism and public speaking skills. Her favorite part of mock trial is the connections she is able to  make with her teammates. 

“It’s nice to connect with people that either have similar interests or similar goals for life [as you],” Baker said. 

One of the witnesses on the mock trial team this season was sophomore Peyton Gontarek. While she has been on the team for two years, this is her first year with a major role. She is very excited that her team has gone so far as to win counties. 

Gontarek agrees with her teammates that public speaking is definitely improved with a role on this team, and she echoes Baker’s sentiment about making important friendships. 

“The connections you make is definitely a big thing,” says Gontarek.

Although LHS’s team did not ultimately win their regional trial on March 4th against the Montgomery country champions, all of the members of the team are satisfied with their efforts this season. They are all extremely proud of their team members and their first time as Frederick County champions.

The audition process for mock trials is relatively straightforward. Before practicing for the season, anyone who wants a role uses an old case and performs a role from it. The team captains and the coach choose who will get what roles, and others become para-legals. It is a very fun, engaging process and club to be a part of.