Capistrano Valley High School - El Gato Yearbook (Mission Viejo, CA)

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J • ASKING FOR SOME POINTERS - After the conclusion of thie trial, senior Gary DeWulf consults the judge for some advice on his performance. ▼ THE WHOLE TRUTH — Senior Ben Lloyd plays out his part as a defense lawyer during the trial. T AND NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH - Defense witness Leila Shahabian I the court. 0M t -9®. C A MOCK TRIAL TEAM — Top row: Michelle Heller, Razeena Hamir, Gary DeWulf, laneil Gilbert, Ben Lloyd, Carol Marinelli, Todd Russell, Tom Chen, advisor lewel Kamita. Front row: Cutie L-ee, Claire Chen, Rena Carbellini, Afshan Ali, Leona Robbins, Tara Foster, Not pictured: Leila Shahabian, Amy Mischel, )oanna Joyce, and attorney-coach Keith Gregory. A PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT — Claire Chen rehearses her part as a pr ing lawyer in one of Mock Trial ' s man tice sessions. Mock Trial 57

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n MiU 1niU tjouM {m)(fm ou do solemnly affirm that the testimony you may give in the cause now pending before this court shall be the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth? 1 do. Divorce Court? L.A. Law? Nope — it ' s Mock Trial, Capo-style. Mock Trial is a competition team that studies a ficticious legal case and presents it in a real court set- ting in front of a real judge against other high schools. This year the case concerned a high school stu- dent accused of selling drugs and inducing a minor to take drugs. We wanted something more in- tense, like murder, said sopho- more Leona Robbins, who por- trayed the witness Jesse Anderson, but the case was pretty relevant. Studying the merits of the case and rehearsing the lines is one thing, but the actual presentation itself is an entirely different story. I was scared out of my mind, said senior Carol Marinelli, who was one of the principle witnesses for the prosecution, and I almost sat down on top of the desk instead of in the witness stand. I was afraid of being eaten up by the opposing attorneys, added senior Ben Lloyd, one of the de- fense attorneys, or that I would miss an objection, or even worse yet, misobject. Despite the fears and the butter- flies, the team won two of its three competitions. We won Round III so decisively and got so many points that we were sure we were going on (in the competition), said advisor Jewel Kamita. The kids were celebrating on the bus on the way home from the courthouse. The top sixteen teams in the competition advanced to Round IV. Capo finished 17th. When you come that close, it ' s a pretty big downer, said junior Mi- chelle Heller, who portrayed the defendant Chris Willow. Even though it wasn ' t a fairy-tale ending, Mock Trial as a positive ex- perience for all involved. I learned that it ' s tough to be a lawyer, but it ' s interesting, said Ben Lloyd. And if you ' re prepared and know what you ' re doing, then it can be a lot of fun. It ' s a lesson for life. 56 Mock Trial

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Wlut ItUH l kaPAL Ma f ERO The Choice For Me, ilk hen you were a little kid, did you y l ever have a big brother or big » If sister who helped you, whom you looked to for help or guidance, and when you were with them did you wish that you could be just like them when you grow up? The students in HERO and PAL did. They care for and guide chil- dren so that they will be able to adjust to the society we live in as responsible indi- viduals. The HERO club, run by Mrs. Gay Veeh as an extension of her child develop- ment class, allows students to learn what it takes to deal with children, says Mrs. Gay Veeh, It also teaches a lot about working together with other peo- ple. Senior Shea Jones, rated the club A definitely good experience. Another club that is a good exper- ience is PAL. Pal is the abbreviation of Peer Assistance League, and it was de- veloped to foster the development of peer counciling skills, said Adviser Jan Pluemacher. The club develops these skills through campaigns such as the Red Ribbon campaign and the Hugs Not Drugs campaign which focused on the club ' s excursion to Castile to talk to sixth graders about the harmful effects of drugs. Advisor Jan Pluemacher stated, 1 know that this will not be for everyone, but if it helps just a few kids it was worth- while. So if you didn ' t know before, this is what it takes to be a PAL or a HERO.