Beltrami district court judges to honor Bemidji mock trial team

BEMIDJI — Bemidji High School’s Mock Trial Team will be honored by genuine district court judges in recognition of their advancement to the state competition.

“We are honored to invite the Bemidji High School Mock Trial Team into the Beltrami County Judicial Center to commemorate their success as a team,” stated Judge Annie Claesson-Huseby in a news release. “Mock trial is about so much more than a faux trial: it is an opportunity for courthouses across the state to open their doors to the leaders of tomorrow.”

Beltrami's court judges, the mock trial team, Bemidji High School faculty and members of the Minnesota Bar Association will attend the celebration Thursday, March 20.

Run by the Minnesota State Bar Association, mock trial is a statewide competition in which teams of 8 to 14 students simulate real trials, learning about the judicial branch and the complexities judges, lawyers and juries face when presenting and considering a case.

"As they commence from high school, we hope that students choose majors and consider professions within the judicial branch,” Claesson-Huseby said. “After all, today’s high school students will be the people charged with upholding the pillars of justice for generations to come.”

The Bemidji High School team was undefeated in this Mock Trial season, winning five of its trials, including tackling a fictitious murder case on the Boundary Waters. They placed seventh in the state tournament earlier this month, out of 16 schools.

The students representing the team this year include: Nina Bergey, Katie Gunderson, Addyson Yanish, Brynn Klaers, Ivy Blumenshien, Zivah Zebro, Sullivan Okerlund, Jesse Quick, Indio Koos, Taylor Fell, Margaret Pansch, Claire Eastman, Wren Burrow and Alex Fraik.