Carondelet students historically have had a passion for serving the underserved and making a difference. They have excelled in theatre arts. They stand out as leaders. This past year, a new chapter began for our school that combines all of the above student passions, and so much more, through a new academic competition started at our school—Mock Trial.
Thanks to alum parent and attorney, David Depolo (father of Issabella Depolo ’17), a team of nine Carondelet students turned in amazing performances in their first year after months of practice, including learning rules, case law, and current case information.
The Carondelet team tackled its four trials at the Superior Court of Contra Costa with performances that went beyond expectations. The team won all four pretrial motions, two for the prosecution and two for the defense, an exceptional outcome, even for top teams. In addition, the team finished 12th out of 18, a great showing for a first-year team.
“Our students really benefited from David Depolo and his passion in sharing his more than 30 years of courtroom experience during the many evenings he spent tutoring the students on both the prosecution and defense sides of the current case,” said Social Studies teacher and Mock Trial moderator, Mitch Ward.
Social Studies teacher Joan Larsson, served as assistant moderator.
The future looks bright for Carondelet’s Mock Trial teams in the years to come!