On February 8, 2024, the McNair Academic Mock Trial team won the Hudson County Vincent J.
Apruzzese High School Mock Trial Competition (their first title win since 2015). Practicing since
November, the team put in months of work to achieve a deep understanding of the legal components of
their trial. They are now excited and preparing to move on in the competition, as they are advancing to
Regional Finals at the New Jersey Law Center in New Brunswick on February 28th.
Apruzzese High School Mock Trial Competition (their first title win since 2015). Practicing since
November, the team put in months of work to achieve a deep understanding of the legal components of
their trial. They are now excited and preparing to move on in the competition, as they are advancing to
Regional Finals at the New Jersey Law Center in New Brunswick on February 28th.
The county mock trial competitions are sponsored by the Hudson County Bar Association and the
Hudson County Bar Foundation. The state competitions are sponsored by the New Jersey State Bar
Foundation. Each year, teams are provided with either a criminal or civil case to argue in a real court
setting. McNair competed against other Hudson County schools, including The Hudson School and
Hoboken High School.
The team, in exploring a case related to college admissions fraud, was led by seniors Hammad
Khalil and Zoe Van Gelder, as Co-Presidents, and sophomores Chloe Koo and Sathvik Ram.
Additionally, witness roles were played by Soledad Hak, Tian Hu, Amit Puran, Siddhaartha
Sampathkumar, Prabjhit Singh, and Vinaya Vittal. Further supporting the team include students Khloe
Anderson, Arya Bahadur, Manhoor Bhatti, Sophia Kaczmarski, Shelley Ma, Muzen Mohamedsaeed,
Yuraav Padia, Jashmitha Peddagolla, and Vallabh Suresh. The team’s advisors, Mary Ellen Gillick and
Jordan Hoch, worked to guide the team through to a victory.