For the second year in a row, Ad Fontes Academy won the Virginia State High School Mock Trial Championship on March 21 in Williamsburg, VA.  Ad Fontes Academy is the only Northern Virginia team in the history of Virginia High School Mock Trial to win this prestigious legal competition.

“As a young team against experienced competition, it was an honor to win the title last year. The reality that we are back-to-back state champs is still settling in on us. With a year’s experience at nationals, we look forward to competing well against the best schools in the nation,” said faculty coach Jeanette Faulkner.    

In only its third year of competition, the team won the final round against Jamestown High School. Sophomore Henry Overos, of Fairfax, won the competition’s Overall Best Attorney Award.  The Competition’s Overall Best Witness Award was won for the second year in a row by sophomore Colin Hughes of Springfield.

The team includes juniors Francesca Mertan of Aldie and Stephanie Lockhart of Purcellville, as well as sophomores Gregory Barton and Addison Smith of Purcellville, Patricia Chenette of Clifton, Danielle Decker of Sterling, Joanna Faulkner of Vienna, Doug Schultz of Potomac, MD and Zachary Solomon. Francesca Mertan won a Best Team Witness award and Stephanie Lockhart won a Best Team Attorney Award.

According to team Attorney Coach, Kerry Lockhart, “As a classical Christian school, our training in formal logic and classical rhetoric is a tangible plus for our students.”  The Virginia State Champions will compete in the National Mock Trial Competition May 6-9 in Philadelphia.

Faculty coaches included Jeanette Faulkner, Kerry Lockhart, and Cheryl Hughes.

This competition is the premier national law-related academic tournament for high school students, encouraging students to explore constitutional concepts, courtroom protocol and basic litigation skills. Every team in the state is presented with the same case, which is adapted from an actual court case. Each team must be prepared to argue as either the prosecution or defense, using the Federal Rules of Evidence, correct courtroom protocol and present opening and closing arguments to a jury of professional attorneys and judges in actual courtrooms.