By Moneth G. Deposa
Variety News Staff

AN all female, eight-member team from Tinian Junior/High School emerged as champion in the 9th Annual National High School Mock Trial competition on Saturday which saw the participation of seven other schools.
Tinian High, which also held the title from 2000 to 2003, was coached by attorney Lucia Blanco-Maratita, who is a member of the Board of Education.
She said the exciting “comeback” of the Tinian students was a result of their hard work and dedication during the practice and preparation the team has been doing since January.
“This is our fifth win and we’re very proud of our students — we had a really good competition this year,” she said.
The winning team will represent the CNMI in the national competition in Dallas, Texas in May.
Three students from the team were also recognized by the competition judges — Jolene Lizama was named most effective plaintiff attorney; Denise Guiao, most effective defense attorney; and Nikita Mendiola, most effective plaintiff witness.
Two other recipients of the individual special awards were Angela Salas of Mount Carmel School who was named most effective defense witness, and Agnes Constante of Marianas High School, the runner-up for the most effective plaintiff attorney award.
During the two-hour championship round, the Tinian Jr./High School champions defeated the team from Marianas Baptist Academy which was the plaintiff in the mock trial.
This year’s case involved “Chris Matagolia, a graduate of Capital Hill High School, who sued her school after she failed to land a job as a result of her poor reading and writing skills which she blamed on the poor education provided by the school.”
In their closing argument, the Tinian students compared the Matagolai case to a jigsaw puzzle.
“Imagine Matagolai’s education as a five-piece jigsaw puzzle where the pieces represent the school curriculum, the teachers, the evaluation process, the parents, and most importantly Chris Matagolai. The pieces missing needed to complete her own educational portrait were those held by the plaintiff,” said Tinian team member Denise Guiao.
She said the school district cannot be accused of failing to adequately provide Matagolai with basic academic skills.
She called attention to the standardized tests that Matagolai chose not to take; the absence of parental support for Matagolai’s education; and the lack of motivation and initiative from the student herself.
“The most vital piece was Chris’s attitude. She was not motivated and saw no use in even trying to learn how to read. She thought the remedial reading program was something dumb and boring. She saw partying, movies, and football games as more important than homework. The school provided Chris with the pieces necessary to build a successful life. She was offered the educational opportunities just like every other student. Unfortunately, she failed to put these pieces together and held the missing piece in her educational portrait,” Guiao said.
She closed her arguments by saying “You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make it drink.”
The winning team was composed of five seniors, two freshmen and a sophomore. The other team members beside Guiao, Lizama, Mendiola were Michelle Aquiningoc, Kaisha Aquino, Louvele Borja, Winona Maratita, and Genevieve Santos.
The students were also coached by Tom Fuentes and Lelia Long.
The other schools that made it to the semi-finals were Rota High School, Mt. Carmel, MHS, and MBA which was named the second best in the competition.
Attorney Robert T. Torres, who played the role of judge, said the event’s organizers recognize the dedication and hard work demonstrated by the participants and commended the finalists for establishing good eye-contact during cross examinations and for the themes incorporated in their arguments.
The competition is organized annually by the CNMI Bar Association with the objective of promoting an appreciation of the judicial system among students.