BG helps state Mock Trial program rebound

It won’t be a surprise to any member of the 17 teams that competed at the Mock Trial State Tournament this weekend if you have never heard of the program. In fact, only 17 high schools in the state, including Bishop Guertin High School, participated in the event at Hillsborough County Superior Court South in Nashua. Bishop Guertin coach Brian Jackson, a religion teacher at the school, played a crucial role in revitalizing the “intellectual contact sport” in the last few years. Although the tournament and results will be concluded once you read this, earlier this week, the BG Mock Trial team was preparing for its largest competition of the year – a tournament that might never have happened had it not been for the work of its coach. In 2007, when the New Hampshire State Bar Association stopped sponsoring Mock Trial in the state, which had nearly 25 active teams, Jackson didn’t want to disappoint his enthusiastic team. He got in contact with the Mock Trial team at Yale University, which sponsored competitions for high school students, and began to compete there. In 2009, Yale began to sponsor the state tournament again, and in 2011, Bishop Guertin began its own invitational tournament. Kyle Skinner, a Yale student who has since graduated, took over as the state coordinator, and now Mock Trial is back on the rise. Jackson said he’s thrilled with the new Mock Trial state tournament. He has worked hard with all three of his teams to prepare for the states, competing with schools such as the Academy for Science and Design in Nashua, Souhegan High School and Phillips Exeter Academy, the winner of the 2012 state championship and the BG Invitational in December.