This Saturday, March 1, Summit’s two mock trial teams will be going against local rivals at regionals to determine who will be headed to state. The trials will take place at the Deschutes County Courthouse from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., and the teams will go against Bend High, Cascades Academy and each other.

Mock Trial is an academic competition where two teams, consisting of students acting as witnesses and attorneys, face each other in court and are graded on believability, poise, cohesiveness and more. This year’s case is a civil one between a carnival owner and social media influencer, which the teams have been studying since October.

Each team will participate in three trials, including a head-to-head matchup between  Summit’s two teams at 2:15 p.m. Spectators are welcome to attend and may wear casual or formal attire, as long as they remain silent and respectful while observing.

The regional champion will move on to the State Competition on March 15-16, which will take place at the Federal Courtroom in Portland.

Mary Thomas, vice principal and main coach of the teams, is excited for the trials and encourages attendance.

“It’s a battle of intellectual capabilities and critical thinking,” She said. “It’s really powerful to see it, and it’s entertaining.”