KEY WEST HIGH SCHOOL ALUMNI COACHES FIRST EVER MOCK TRIAL TEAM TO DISTRICT CHAMPIONSHIP

KWHS Advances to the Florida High School Mock Trial State Championship Competition

MONROE COUNTY, Fla. – Monroe County public defender and Key West High School graduate, Elizabeth Isherwood, returned to her alma mater to coach the school’s first ever Mock Trial Team to a district championship last week at the Florida High School Mock Trial competition. KWHS will represent the 16th Judicial Circuit in the state finals.

The competition, which began in 1991, is a multi-level academic championship in which students use critical thinking skills, legal reasoning, analysis, and professionalism to navigate the structure and function of the courts and legal system through a mock trial process.

“It is truly an honor to coach students from my alma mater in this prestigious completion,” stated Isherwood who is currently a criminal defense attorney with the Public Defenders office.  “This type of opportunity allows students to see, first hand, the inner workings of the judicial system and help them decide if they want to pursue a law career”

Isherwood, a 2014 KWHS graduate, attended Stetson Law School, where she participated on an award winning trial team.  She brought that level of excellence to Key West and prepared the ten students on the trial team to compete with confidence.  Beginning in November, the students worked on an official case packet released by the Justice Teaching Center at Florida Southern College.  Ms. Isherwood assessed the strengths and skills of each team member while assigning roles of prosecution, defense and witnesses in a hypothetical first and second degree arson trial.  The students practiced three days a week to prepare for the competition.

Kirsten Haughey, a 12th grade team member found the praised her coach for her ability to prepare the team.   “Ms. Isherwood walked us through each step of competing in Mock Trial from start to finish.  We then started implementing the techniques that she taught us into our practice. We learned many styles of debating and practices used by actual lawyers,” stated Haughley.  “By the time the competition arrived, we were cool, calm and collected. We knew our material and we were confident in our abilities after all of our hard work.  I’m glad we made our school proud.”

Many former student participants, like Isherwood, have returned to coach teams at the schools they once attended or at other schools throughout the state.  Hundreds of attorneys and judges volunteer to participate in the circuit and state competitions, which are sponsored by the Justice Teaching Center for Civic Learning and Florida Southern College. Members of The Florida Bar Law Related Education Committee develop the case materials annually. One team from each of Florida’s 20 judicial circuit may advance to the state finals.

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