Names of Note: Stanislaus has Mock Trial champs. Turlock mayor advises on real crime
Gregori High School won the 36th annual Stanislaus County Mock Trial contest, which wrapped up Tuesday, Feb. 18.
The event challenges teams of 18 to 25 students to research and present prosecution or defense arguments in a fictional case. This year, the case involved a murder charge against the founder of a company making self-driving cars.
The teams made their arguments in Stanislaus Superior Court in front of real judges. They were rated by attorneys practicing in the county.
Gregori’s defense team defeated a Turlock High School prosecution team in the finals at the Petersen Event Center in Modesto. The county winner goes on to the statewide contest in Los Angeles on March 20-22.
Rana Banankhah of Modesto High School won the Journalism Contest for reporting on the case. Azrael Post of Johansen High School received the Artist in the Courtroom award.
Breanna Donnelly of Modesto High won the Spirit of Stanislaus County Mock Trial Award and Scholarship. Brian Hill of Hughson High School earned the Ryan Dickerson Award for Excellence and Leadership in Mock Trial.
Gregori’s team is coached by Danny Moreno, Aurora Thome and Harmon Gill. The members are Aram Ashrafzadeh, Cameron Ashrafzadeh, Francesca Bruno, Evelyn Fahlen, Jocelyn Fahlen, Morgan Arakelian, Gage Fields, Aaron Gill, Katelyn Goss, Audrey Kellert, Joshua Imatong, Connor Kuykendall, Skyler Logan, Maximo Madrigal, Sophia Orlando, Jaden Todd-Nelson, Baaz Pannu, Caroline Parker, Shannon Paulson, Isabella Perkins, Sierra Rodriguez, Nicholas Virgil, Sophia Franzia, Fallon Wolfley and Delilah Augustine.
The event is sponsored by the Stanislaus County Office of Education and the Education Foundation of Stanislaus County.
Bublak’s new role
Turlock Mayor Amy Bublak will help a new federal panel research ways to better fight crime. She was recently named to the Social Problems Working Group, a subcommittee of the Presidential Commission on Law Enforcement and the Administration of Justice.
President Donald Trump created the commission in January. It is made up of 18 current or former leaders in police and judicial work from around the nation. Bublak’s is one of 15 groups that will advise the commission on specific topics over the next year.
The mayor is a retired Modesto police officer.
“Public safety is my top priority and I deeply appreciate the president’s efforts to help in understanding the complexity of challenges we face in addressing crime throughout our nation,” Bublak said in a news release.
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