SPRINGFIELD – Timothy Christian High School, in Elmhurst, placed first in the 24^th annual Illinois State Bar Association (ISBA) High School Mock Trial Invitational held at the University of Illinois at Springfield on Friday and Saturday, March 3 and 4. Teams from 49 Illinois high schools traveled to Springfield to participate in the program.

Placing second and third, respectively, in the program were:

• Glenbard South High School, in Glen Ellyn; and
• Boylan Catholic High School, in Rockford.

Timothy Christian High School will represent the state of Illinois at the National High School Mock Trial Championship which will be held in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, May 11 – 13, 2006.

"The mock trial program is a rare opportunity for Illinois high school students to participate in a high-level academic endeavor," says Zeophus Williams of Chicago, incoming chair of the ISBA's Standing Committee on Law-Related Education for the Public, which conducts the program.

Each 10-member team tries both sides – prosecution and defense – of a case developed by the ISBA Education Committee. In this year's case, three Springfield teens are on trial for vandalizing the fictional Lincoln County Cemetery. In the early morning hours on September 29, 2005, an employee of the cemetery witnessed the youths exiting the grounds by climbing over a gate. He also saw a car, owned by one of the youths, leaving the perimeters of the cemetery. The youths were arrested, based on a partial license plate number and the confession of a witness who accepted a plea agreement. Two of the teens deny damaging the property.

The high school mock trials have been conducted each year since 1982 by the ISBA to provide Illinois high school students an interesting and challenging way to improve basic skills such as speaking, writing, listening, analyzing, and working as a team, as well as learning about good citizenship and the American justice system.

The 30,000 member ISBA, with offices in Springfield and Chicago, provides professional services to Illinois member attorneys, and education to the public.