NEWS RELEASE

For Immediate Release
Contact Doris Huffman
Executive Director
402/475-1042
doris@nebarfnd.org

CHADRON HIGH SCHOOL CAPTURES STATE MOCK TRIAL TITLE

The Chadron High School Mock Trial team defeated the Stuart High School team in final round competition on Wednesday, December 7, in Omaha. Judge Laurie Smith Camp, Federal District Court for the District of Nebraska, presided over the competition at the Roman L. Hruska U. S. Courthouse.

The Chadron team, which presented the plaintiff’s side of a First Amendment rights case, Pat Christianson vs. William Jennings Bryan Public High School, has achieved the right to represent Nebraska at the National High School Mock Trial Championship in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, May 11-13, 2006.

The case centers around the Student Council election at William Jennings Bryan Public High School (WJB) where the principal, Dr. Eddie U. Cation, has told Pat that she will be allowed to participate as a candidate for president only if she eliminates her religious rhetoric from the campaign.

Pat refuses to comply with the school’s mandate to purge her campaign message of any religious references. She maintains that her First Amendments rights have been violated and seeks a resolution by filing a lawsuit.

Chadron team members played the witness roles of Pat Christianson, plaintiff; Sal Lantro, another student at WJB who is running for student body president on a campaign based upon his vegan lifestyle; and Frances Godwin, a teacher at WJB who encourages Pat to run for office and also participates, along with S. Keptik, a history teacher, as a faculty member of the student election oversight committee. Other team members acted as attorneys who conducted direct examination of the team’s witnesses, and they cross-examined the witnesses of the opposing Stuart team: Dr. Eddie U. Cation, principal of WJB; Sammie Slang, a student at WJB who complains about the religious content of the campaign and threatens a lawsuit if the school allows Pat Christianson to present her religious message in the campaign; and S. Keptik, a history teacher a WJB who serves with Frances Godwin as a faculty member of the student election oversight committee and is concerned about Pat Christianson’s message in the school election.

Members of the winning Chadron team are Dillon Miskimins, Chris Cassiday, Pete Swanke, Morgan Klabanes, Thomas Thornton, Kait George, Tara Ledbetter, and Mike Overstreet. The team’s teacher coach is Megan Williamson. Paul G. Wess and Vance E. Haug are the attorney coaches.

Members of the second-place team from Stuart are Jessica Murphy, Sarah Kaup, Annie Kaup, Christi Kaup, Lyle Shearer, Nikki Miksch, Audrey Paxton, and Jamie Myers. Deb Kaup is the team’s teacher coach, and Janet L. Krotter Chvala and Andrew J. Hoffman are the team’s attorney coaches.

Taking third place in the championship was Ogallala High School. Skutt Catholic High School of Omaha was the fourth place winner. Other schools winning their regional Mock Trial competition and competing in the State Championship received honorable mention. They are Perkins County, Grand Island Northwest, Lyons-Decatur, Columbus Scotus Catholic, Papillion-LaVista South, Humboldt-Table Rock-Steinauer, Raymond Central, and Westside High School, Omaha.

The Nebraska High School Mock Trial Project is sponsored by the Nebraska State Bar Foundation and its State Center for Law-Related Education. Bar Foundation President Dean G. Kratz of Omaha congratulates the Chadron High School team on winning the 2005 state championship. Kratz states that the Foundation, through its Legacy of Liberty program, supports this and other law-related education projects for Nebraska citizens throughout the state.

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