Words: Natalie Keane
From Thursday, April 19, to Friday, April 20, Centennial High’s very own Mock Trial team will be attending the Mock Trial State Semifinals in Annapolis, Maryland. They are this year’s county champions, and have previously won both rounds of Circuit Championships against Rockbridge Academy and Marriotts Ridge High School. As circuit champions two years in a row, they now continue their undefeated season this week against teams from across the state.
Centennial’s team is the first Howard County team to advance to the state semifinals in history, which is significant for its members. “Because we’re the first Howard County team to ever advance to [this level], we’re all being exposed to a different environment,” says junior Anjali Gajendiran, who acts as one of the team’s defense attorneys. “It’s definitely daunting; I’m so grateful we have this opportunity.”
“One of the best parts about Centennial moving onto state semifinals is the opportunity to compete against high-level teams, which will be a great experience for us,” says senior Kayleigh Hasson, who is the captain and a defense attorney of the team. “I’m proud to say [that] we’ve had an undefeated season so far, and the experience of winning the state title would be incredible.”
Advancing even further would be an ideal result of the semifinals, but there’s more to the competition than just winning a prize or title. Reaching this far in the competition involves building strengths and learning to work closely together as a team. “I am so proud that our team is one of the top four teams in Maryland,” says Hasson. “We’ve made Howard County history by making it this far!”
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