Mock Trial team attends Providence Cup in Denver

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Last year, high school students auditioned to participate in Mock Trial, an extracurricular activity which simulates a real trial in a courtroom. The coaches and Ms. Nikki Laurie, head of the Pre-Law Program, selected two teams. One participated in the Providence Cup in Denver. Accompanied by coaches Francis Viamontes and Melisa McNeill, students left for a five-day trip Wednesday, Oct. 13. (Photos/Anya Pinto and Madilyn Rice)
The 12 students were divided into two smaller teams which competed separately but prepared together. They practiced in a conference room at the Grand Hyatt Denver, and then went to lunch at Henry’s Tavern, the American Bar and Grill. After competing for a few days, the students waited at the courthouse for results of the teams that finaled at the tournament. (Photos/Anya Pinto and Madilyn Rice)
Students leave the courthouse after competing all morning. They walked back to the hotel before leaving for Elitch’s Amusement Park. (Photos/Anya Pinto, Madilyn Rice and Francis Viamontes)
The Providence Cup provided all participants and coaches with free tickets to spend an evening at Elitch’s Amusement Park, where the awards ceremony was also held. One of the Heritage teams placed in the Top 6, with Mary Abi-Karam winning Top Lawyer, Kennedy Hack-Juman winning Outstanding Witness and Taeyoung Kim and Anya Pinto winning Top Witnesses. (Photos/Anya Pinto, Francis Viamontes and Melisa McNeill)

Now a senior at American Heritage, Anya returns as Editor-in-Chief of the Patriot Post. With her passion for journalism, she is Co-President of the Quill and Scroll Honor Society. She started an organization called “ActionPAKT: Projects Advocating for a Kinder Tomorrow” to educate youth about current issues and help them take action; currently, she has expanded it to 15+ chapters in multiple countries, raising $17,000 within the Heritage chapter itself. As a Youth Ambassador for Bullets4Life, Anya advocates for gun control. She leads the top Model UN program in the nation as President, competing nationally and organizing conferences at school. To relax, Anya hangs out with friends, swims, goes on walks and binge watches Netflix. She loves the beach, good food and her lazy little dog Simba more than anything.