2 top Mock Trial teams from FHS
“I’m really excited because we didn’t think it was possible to have teams from the same school win both first and second place,” said Hannah Taylor, an FHS senior and Mock Trial president. “Both first- and second-place get to move on to the state competition. That means every single person that’s part of the Mock Trial gets to go to state.”
“We believed in our team, of course, but we just didn’t think it was possible for both teams to go,” said Vaishnavi Tathineni, also a senior and vice president of Mock Trial.
“Mock Trial is an academic competition in which students serve as legal trial attorneys and witnesses presenting a legal case to a judge and jury consisting of local attorneys and judges,” said Nick Armes, a local attorney with the Legal Aid Society who is coaching FHS’ Mock Trial teams.
“We are tremendously proud of our mock trial students.
“The tournament hosted 16 teams from across East Tennessee,” which also included Blount, Jefferson, Sevier and Anderson counties, he added. “Farragut was one of the few public schools in Knox (County) to compete.”
Additionally, Armes said one of the team members served as a witness and won Best Defense Witness out of 16 teams that each had six witnesses at the tournament.
This accomplishment “is the first time in school history, and perhaps East Tennessee history, the school will send two teams to state,” Armes said.
“It says our students are made up of different stuff, better stuff,” said Wesley Eke, an independent attorney who also coaches FHS’ Mock Trial teams.
“These kids are motivated; they’re smart; they’re driven to get the job done,” he added.
