The eight high school teams that will advance to the semifinals of the Ventura County Mock Trial were announced today by the Ventura County Office of Education. The semifinalists received the eight highest scores of the 32 teams participating in this year’s Mock Trial. Listed in order of their scores, the final eight teams are:

1. Trinity Pacific Epsilon

2. Newbury Park Gold

3. Oaks Christian Gold

4. Adolfo Camarillo Scorpions

5. Westlake High School

6. Oak Park Black

7. Grace Brethren

8. Saint Bonaventure

The public is invited to watch the semifinals tonight, February 24, at 5:15 pm at the Ventura County Superior Court at 800 South Victoria Ave. in Ventura. The final four teams will face off Thursday evening at 5:15 pm at the courthouse. The winning team will be announced at an awards ceremony on Monday, February 29 at 6:00 pm at the Oxnard Performing Arts Center at 800 Hobson Way. All events are open to the public.

About Ventura County Mock Trial

Ventura County Mock Trial gives local students a firsthand look at the criminal justice system by having them portray the principals in a cast of courtroom characters. The roles played by the students include attorneys, witnesses, bailiffs, court clerks and sketch artists. Student teams study the hypothetical case, conduct legal research, receive guidance from volunteer attorneys in courtroom procedure and trial preparation, and present their case before volunteer judges. Close to 500 Ventura County students in grades nine through 12 participate. More than 150 local attorneys volunteer their time to score the competition. The winning Ventura County team will advance to the state mock trial to compete against their peers from across California.  

The Ventura County Office of Education and the Ventura County Superior Court host the event with support from the Constitutional Rights Foundation.