Johnston wins 2022 mock trial state championship

JOHNSTON, Ia. (Dec. 2, 2022) — Johnston’s Team Dragon is the 2022 Iowa Middle School Mock Trial State Champions!

Johnston beat Regis Middle School of Cedar Rapids in the final round at the state mock trial tournament today, making Johnston No. 1 of 128 teams that competed. The finals were held in the Iowa Supreme Court courtroom.

Earlier in the day, the students of Team Dragon defeated Harlan Middle School in the semifinals, advancing them to the finals.

Team members include 7th graders Aditi Pandey, Srihari Kumaresan, Ryan MacFarland, Keely Koenigs and Audrey Sullivan; and 8th graders Ethan MacFarland, Colton Pierce, Maya Keshwani, Quinnlyn Schulte and David Shi.

Attorney Coach: Holly Bousselot. High School coaches: Courtney Sweet and Emily Quinn. Teacher sponsors: Molly McConnell (JMS Extended Learning Program teacher) and Colleen Ites (Summit Extended Learning Program teacher). Congratulations, Dragons!

Mock trial is designed to introduce students to the legal system by providing a challenging, academic competition. Each fall, middle school students in grades 6 to 8 are given a legal case to study. The teams then work to prepare and present both sides of the case before a panel of volunteer lawyers and judges. Each team is judged on their mock trial competition, sportsmanship, civility, courtroom decorum, and professionalism.