We, at the Foundation, are very sad to hear this news. We know that Duchesne Academy of the Sacred Heart, Nebraska's 2019 champion, would have done very well at Nationals.
--- --- ---
Statement from NHSMTC Board of Directors regarding COVID-19 and the 2020 National Championship
Mock Trial Friends and Colleagues,
With a heavy heart, we write to announce the cancellation of the 2020 National High School Mock Trial Championship tournament, previously scheduled for Evansville, Indiana from May 7-10. The Board and Indiana Host Committee have been monitoring the progress of the now-pandemic COVID-19 virus for the past week, and based on information from local health agencies, we have come to the conclusion that there is no way for us to ensure a tournament that is safe for our students, coaches, judges, and the family and friends who attend every year.
We are advised that other major national academic competitions are also being cancelled, for similar reasons. We are also aware that at least nine states have cancelled, or are in the process of canceling or postponing, their state finals and we expect that others are considering that action.
We have reached this decision after consultation with local boards of health and hand-in-hand with the Indiana Bar Foundation, and that organization and its volunteers have our profound gratitude. We were excited by what they had planned for May, and we know that it would have been a fantastic experience had events beyond their control not intervened. We hope that by cancelling the national tournament now, we will allow states greater autonomy to either postpone or cancel their own competitions.
We recognize that the May tournament is also our national business meeting, and we are working on ways to host the state coordinator roundtable and corporate meeting virtually. We will report back as soon as we have a firm plan for how to make that work and when that meeting will be.
We know that this decision is a disappointment, to all of us, but we appreciate your understanding and support of this difficult decision. It pains us to think of passing up the chance to be together and to celebrate this joint project we all love. Thank you for all that you do to support mock trial and civics education nationwide and for the tens of thousands of lives you touch every year. If you should have any questions, please contact Laura Wesley at Laura [at] crf-usa.org.
Sincerely,
Laura Wesley, Chair
NHSMTC Board of Directors