Bridget Kitching, contributor
With the Saunders high school experience back in full swing, students can expect new and exciting opportunities to arise. More and more clubs are starting up for the year, from football to fine arts. Saunders Law Society, running from December to spring, is a mock trial club where students can test their academic skills in a competitive environment. It is held on Thursdays in B328 during Period 3 and 4 lunch, and all grades are welcome.
“I think it’s to help students practice using the law,” said Ms. Giffin, a law and history teacher and co-head of Law Society, “They get to understand the procedure of court and how lawyers put together a case, how they prove somebody’s guilty and somebody’s innocent - it’s like practicing being a lawyer or being at trial as a witness.”
A mock trial is an event where participants simulate a real court case by acting out various roles in a courtroom. In London’s multi-school mock trial, students can act as lawyers or witnesses. Teams of lawyers must compete as the Crown (the government) and the Defense. Last year, Saunders Law Society came in second place at the annual mock trial. “Our students worked really, really, really hard. Particularly in that final month before we went to trial.” stated Ms. Kudelka, a guidance counselor and co-head of Law Society “To get to see the students take all of that hard work and perform at court and do such an amazing job, I think for us (Ms. Kudelka and Ms. Giffin), we were so thrilled about how the students did.”
Law Society members work with a lawyer whilst preparing for the upcoming mock trial. “It’s a bit of a sneak peek on the actual job that potentially some students might be interested in,” stated Ms. Giffin “You get to work with a professional in that capacity and it is really hands-on in that way.”
Students are encouraged to join, regardless of their knowledge of the law. “Come try it out, you might not know much about the law, you might not know what the club is about, come and join us.” Ms. Kudelka commented, “Even if it’s just for a couple of sessions and you want to come and try it out, we are happy to have new members at any point.” Law Society is just one of the many new and exciting clubs starting up again at Saunders. With the first semester coming to an end, students are encouraged to try new things and discover the latest opportunities that Saunders has to offer.