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In The News
Louis Niedelman on "Holy Spirit advances in mock trial rounds"
Holy Spirit High School defeated Monsignor Donovan High School, of Toms River, on Tuesday to become the southern New Jersey mock trial champion, their attorney coach said.
"They're flying high," said Louis Niedelman, an attorney with the Cooper Levenson law firm in Atlantic City. "This is the first time Holy Spirit is going as far as they are" in at least 15 years.
The Absecon parochial school won its contest Tuesday at the Law Center in New Brunswick. In the state and national High School Mock Trial Competitions, high-school students prepare to try fictional cases in a court room. The teams prepare for months, and portray lawyers, witnesses and other characters in the trial, and sitting judges evaluate their performance and determine the winner. This year's case was about a woman accused of kidnapping her boss' 12-year-old son. Teams do not know until the trial starts whether they will present the case of the prosecution or the defense.
Holy Spirit was chosen to present the defense's case in Tuesday afternoon's regional final, against Monsignor Donovan's prosecution, Niedelman said.
"The 'jury' found in our favor and the judges found in our favor," Niedelman said.
But the victory is somewhat bittersweet, as seven of the 11 team members are seniors, and will not return next year, Niedelman said.
On Thursday, Holy Spirit will go up against either the northern or central New Jersey champions to determine who will advance to the state finals to be held March 24, Niedelman said.
Team members are Sonny Magalong, Nicole Rosenau, Kyle Messinger, Evanne Ellenberg, Logan Sykes, Kelly Griggs, Brenna Sooy, Kassidy Reynolds, Andrew Bishop, Molly Gibbons and Katie Gibbons.
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