For the Massapequa High School Mock Trial team, the 2011-2012 school year was a year of trial…literally. In the past, some might say it was a year of trial and error, but this year proved differently. It was a year of trial and success.

The team made history for the district this May when it was crowned the winner of the Nassau County Mock Trail Tournament. The largest event of its kind in New York State, Massapequa defeated nearly 500 students from about 44 high schools around the county.

“We got the case at the beginning of December, and from there we basically practiced until our first trial in mid-February,” Mock Trial president senior Lauren Reisig said. “We were prosecution, and for our second case we were the defense against Roslyn—the team we ended up facing again in the finals, and we beat them two times, so that was nice.”

Reisig went on to describe the dynamic of the team, calling it “integrated and strong,” which most certainly showed in the results of their cases.

“From the beginning, we just continued to get comfortable with our cases and learned our weaknesses and proved our case,” she said. “We’ve gotten the farthest we’ve ever gotten and it’s something to be proud of.”

The cooperation among the team showed throughout the interview, as senior Gabriella Johnston explained the importance behind the past year.

“It’s been the first time since the many years ago that Mr. Bachman started coaching Mock Trial, and really, this was our year,” senior Gabriella Johnston said, “especially for the seniors.”

“We’ve had Mr. Bachman and our attorney advisor Mr. Draper since we were sophomores, so for three years we’ve been training for this and learning everything we can about law to get to this point.” Johnston said. “Counties is the embodiment of all the work that we’ve put in for the past three years and all the work that the juniors have put in for the past two years, and all of the work that the sophomores have just begun to put in.”

The winning (and impressively large) trophy will remain in MHS until next year when the team hopes to win Counties and reclaim the title once again.

And of course, the parting seniors are not the only ones who are hopeful for next year. Junior and upcoming Mock Trial president Kiera Reilly believes that the strength of the team will not be shattered when the reigning seniors depart.

“They set a very high precedent this year with getting to the Long Island Championships. We hope to do the same for next year, we have a stellar team,” Reilly said. “We may be losing a lot of seniors but we still have a really good team, and I really hope we have the opportunity to possibly go on to States next year. “

Reilly also went on to explain the turning point of this past season, describing the one moment where the team felt that their true potential was exhibited.

“It was probably when they messed up our case against a Jewish academy. They said that the two sides were both prosecution, so we had to prepare a defense case in two days, and then we won,” she said. “So, that just showed that how all the preparation for the three months prior made us how good we actually are.”

Massapequa congratulates the Mock Trial team and wishes them luck next year!