Kingswood Oxford’s Mock Trial team, which includes four West Hartford students, will compete in the quarterfinals of the state contest later this month.

After winning at the regional level, KO’s Upper School Mock Trial team has advanced to the quarterfinals of the CT High School Mock Trial Tournament, which will be held on Jan. 26, 2015. Submitted photo

Submitted by Kingswood Oxford School

A team from Kingswood Oxford will compete in the quarterfinals of a statewide Mock Trial tournament in January – one of only two teams that advanced from a regional round held on Dec. 9 in Danbury Superior Court.

KO won both the prosecution and defense sides of the case, in which the curator of a small art museum is accused of murdering a former employee who was about to expose an art forgery scandal involving the museum. The defendant claims to have acted in self-defense.

The case was created for the CT High School Mock Trial Tournament, which was founded in 1976 by CivicsFirst. Each year more than 700 students from over 50 high schools in Connecticut participate in the statewide contest.

In the regional competition, KO’s prosecution attorneys were Ryan Wetsman ’15 of West Hartford, Emma Ouellette ’18 of Avon, and Robert Downes ’18 of Rocky Hill. The defense attorneys were Zach Mendelovici ’15 of Glastonbury and Noa Silverstein ’15 and Grace Amell ’17, both of West Hartford.

Cameron Dias ’15 of Manchester, Emily Lowit ’15 of Meriden, and Peter Baczyk ’15 of Avon were witnesses for the prosecution, while Kian Issari ’18 of Glastonbury, Talia Zimmerman ’15 of South Windsor, and Lydia Bailey ’15 of Simsbury were defense witnesses. Jacob Silverstein ’17 of West Hartford and Tim Bucknam ’17 of Simsbury were the bailiffs.

The team is coached by Ryan Costantini, an attorney for Sikorsky Aircraft.

“This year’s team has benefited from the leadership provided by our nine seniors, many of whom began participating in Mock Trial as members of our Middle School team,” he said. “I could not be more proud of how they have developed over the past several years.”

Kingswood Oxford has long been known for producing clear, confident communicators; resourceful problem-solvers; and innovative and ethical leaders, here and across the globe. Applications received by Feb. 2, 2015, will be automatically considered for merit scholarships, which are not need-based. For information and an interview, contact the Admissions Office (860-727-5000 or [email protected]).