Schenectady High School has been fielding a Mock Trial team for many years

For the past seven years, GE faculty member Mr. Gerry Chapman has been one of the advisors to the team along with Polly VanNostrand of Global Commerce. Sponsored by the Schenectady County Bar Association, the teams from SHS and other schools in the County usually begin the season with a friendly kick-off dinner at the Glen Sanders Mansion. The schools then spend the remainder of the season trying to win competitions with one another in a real-life setting – the court rooms of the Schenectady County Courthouse. The students and advisors spend many hours preparing both sides of a hypothetical (“mock”) court case in the roles of attorneys and witnesses. The team follows a schedule that determines whether the Plaintiff’s side or the Defendant’s side is going to be represented by SHS on any given night. The trials are presided over by actual Judges and attorneys who score the performances and determine which side is the winner of each trial. The trials are open to the public and usually take place on Tuesday and Thursday evenings between February and April, ending with a playoff round much like the NCAA’s “Final Four” to determine which team will represent the County in the Regional and State competitions. This year’s team consists of a number of returning veterans of the mock trial process, but new members are always welcome. See Mr. Chapman in Room AB20 for more information or contact him at chapmang@schenectady.k12.ny.us.