For Immediate Release Knoxville's West High wins TBA YLD State High School Mock Trial Championship Contact: Stacey Shrader Media Relations Coordinator 221 Fourth Avenue N. Suite 400 Nashville, TN 37219 Email: sshrader@tnbar.org Telephone: 615-383-7421 or 800-899-6993 Downloads • Download full size photo of winning team NASHVILLE, March 18, 2006— Knoxville’s West High School won the state championship mock trial competition today, defeating Memphis’ St. Mary’s Episcopal School in the 26th annual Tennessee State High School Mock Trial Competition. Team member Jennifer Camfield was named Best Defense Advocate and Ian Orr was chosen as the team’s most valuable player. The West team will represent Tennessee at the National Mock Trial Competition in Oklahoma City, May 11-13. Family Christian Academy, a team of home-school students from Chattanooga, took third place while last year’s champion, Hume-Fogg Academic High School of Nashville, took fourth place. Individual awards were: Best Plaintiff Advocate – Tracey Hancock of Gallatin High School Best Plaintiff Witness – Paige Hamby of Gallatin High School Best Defense Witness – Harry Watson of Ravenwood High School Sixteen high school teams from across Tennessee put their legal skills to the test during the Tennessee Bar Association's annual State High School Mock Trial Competition in Nashville. About 180 students and 200 volunteers – mostly, judges, lawyers and law students – gave their time and expertise. Sitting judges in the state presided over each round, with Tennessee Supreme Court Justice Cornelia Clark presiding over the championship match. To reach the state competition, teams had to win district competitions by playing the roles of attorneys and witnesses in a fictitious case developed by the Tennessee Bar Association’s Young Lawyers Division. This year, teams presented the case of Dale Evans v. Kris Harris, a civil suit involving a tour bus and pedestrian accident that occurs while tourists are trying to catch a glimpse of a popular country singer. Teams presented their best arguments as to whether the bus driver or the pedestrian was at fault.