Barbara Goleman Senior High School in Miami Lakes has two courtrooms on its campus, and is where it hosted its first mock trial competition for area middle schools.
Competing schools included Bob Graham Education Center, which won first place; County Club Middle School, which took second, and Miami Lakes K-8 Center and Hialeah Gardens Middle School.
Awards were given to the winners as well as to Best Attorneys and witnesses, said Ana Soto-Gonzalez, a teacher at Goleman who is also the school’s mock trial coach and the Law Honors Society sponsor.
Soto-Gonzalez said the school hopes to host the competition each year and to invite more schools the participate in 2024.
Photos
In the first photo, Country Club Middle School’s team placed second in the Middle School Mock Trial competition. Shown kneeling in front, from left are Sophia Julio and Courtney Stewart.
In the middle row: Claudette Cannon, sponsor; Savannah Rush; Izabella Mercado and Faith Roman (holding the trophy); Sara Romero and Santana Louis.
Back row on the left: Jesse Mozeko, sponsor; Juann McKenzie and Zanaya Grant. Back row, right: Serena Dieguez; Zahara Hudson and Principal Rafael Crespo.
Absent from the photo are team members Amanda Baez, sponsor and Stephan Jean-Louis. Photo courtesy of Ana Soto-Gonzalez, Barbara Goleman Senior High School and Country Club Middle School.
In the second photo, Bob Graham Education Center won first place in the Middle School Mock Trial competition. Shown from left are: Valentina Taveras; Jordan Morgan; Olivia Martin; Brandon Guadamuz; Angelina Blasco; Teacher John Brady; Marie Dammous; William Diaz; Annabelle Estopinan; Gabriella Fong; Melody Santiago; Jeremy Matthews and Carlos Lavina. Photo courtesy of Ana Soto-Gonzalez, Barbara Goleman Senior High School and Bob Graham Education Center.