"Your Honor, may I proceed?

The first five words that initiate the start of a two-hour professional advocacy from the prosecution and defense side. Mock trial might sound dull on paper but it comes alive in every objection and inquiry of a witness. This year the mock trial team was composed of a small team of 6 (Erika Marte, Viktoria Pashtriku, Rachael James, Kristine Bonas, Osvaldo Adames, Kevin Clemente ). However, the size was the only small thing about the team. The immense personality of every member of the team was impossible to contain and made the 2010 year mock trial team unique. The leaders of this mock trial army were Peter Silverman, Leah Kagan, Tanya Blocker, Silvia Jordan, and Joanna Fetter. With patience they molded us into eloquent young adults. However tying to create a masterpiece from blank canvases is easier said than done.

Mock trial practices were Monday, Thursday, and Saturday from 4 pm to 6:30...in the beginning. Practices multiplied as we advanced in the competition. Practices were held in a heavenly law firm, Kaye Scholer. We were welcomed by a man named Omar who kindly directed us to the elevator and up to intense practices which sometimes were more amusing than others. Practices that began after the December break and which unfortunately ended in April 20. Mock trial practices were enriched with determination and the craving for success.

The 2010 mock trial year involved a complex and intriguing case. The case was about Shawn Miller, the defendant, who was being accused by the State of New York for defrauding clients of their investments. One of the clients that was defrauded of his/her entire life investment was named Fran Aschott, a witness. The defendant aside from being charged of securities fraud was also charged with conspiracy in the fifth degree. The witnesses on the prosecution side were Sheridan Holmes (the investigator), Pat Nolan (employee at the defendant's investment firm), and Fran Ashcott (victim). The witnesses on the defense side were Shawn Miller (defendant), Mickey Pennman (auditor of the defendant's investment firm), and Ryan Williams (friend and ex-manager of the defendant).This case required knowledge beyond the one that we contain at the beginning of this journey. But by the end we acquired knowledge on investments, stock market, fraudulent schemes and so much more. This knowledge was not easily gained.

The knowledge that needed to be gained required extra slices of pizza and Chinese food. Food was one of our main motivations in every mock trial practice. Sometimes we got healthy pizza which we thought impossible until we saw a forest of leaves on top a layer of cheese. We immediately requested Chinese food. As the competition advanced our food choices advanced as well. All of a sudden we received Italian dishes. The Italian dish cost sweat and long hard work in front a podium and then without.

We went into the 2010 year with an optimistic attitude but also with low self esteems. Last year the competition ended with an unfair verdict in the third round. This year we made it to the quarter finals. Out of 100 teams from all over the four boroughs we were in the top 8. The defeat from St. Francis Prep left a gloomy feeling lingering in the atmosphere. We received support from attorney coaches and hope of advancing further the year to come.

Mock trial is not just another nerdy extra curricular activity to put in our college applications. Most juniors in the team have been doing mock trial since the seventh grade. Mock trial is truly a work of art. We dress in suits and ironed dress shirt and with that comes a new attitude. An attitude of confidence and poise. When we step into the court in Brooklyn Bridge Criminal Court people stop and stare because "we are the future" and that's not just a cliché phrase. Mock trial gives us a safe place where we know we could be heard.

For this article and more, you can check out the Law Teams website at, http://web.me.com/erikfogel/bronxlawteam.

On April 17th, another group of LGJ students stayed in the Bronx to work on a Bronx Community Garden.  (Click on picture for more pictures of this event)

                       On Saturday, April 17

Not all of the speakers caught our attention with their words, in fact, some of them almost put us to sleep but that ended when another presenter showed us his awesome presentation skills. He used animation to catch our attention and keep us awake, he also spoke in a comical tone to set the mood and really get the message through all of us. This went on for about three short hours along with more power point presentations, animated videos, and inspiring speeches from the organization staff as well as visitors. One teacher from a Bronx school presented how he had his students create edible vertical gardens in the classroom!

After that, we headed to the environmental fair which was held at the cafeteria this was very interesting because it was not only about nature, it was also about creating a healthy environment at home by using non toxic home products. I learned about this department store which is much like Home Depot, it was even called "Green Depot". The difference is that the products do not have that toxic smell because it does not contain any of the harmful chemicals. This was followed by other conferences that allowed everyone to shared their own ideas and ask questions.

Afterwards, the Justice Club soon became tired and hungry for some pizza. We took pictures along the way out as we were on our journey to find the nearest pizzeria, and as we were a few minutes away from giving up hope, we found one. We sat down and took some more pictures as Mr. Fogel served us. Mr. Fogel was awful at taking our orders which were not very hard to remember; it was a pizza along with sodas of two different kinds. There, we also talked about how we can use everything we learned to help our school and how we can share the message of recycling. When we finished with our food, we came up with decision to not end the day just yet but then I saw a huge cookie so I had buy it before leaving the pizzeria.

We took the train to 149 Street, where BuildOn was hosting a community service activity. We got off the train and as we walked to find the place, we ran into a not so friendly neighborhood but fortunately nothing happened and we arrived to our destination safely. Something that was a bit unfortunate was that when we got there, the lady in charge of the program, told us that only kids that are 15 and up can participate and there were only three of us who met the standards. Those kids that weren't let inside, were taken back home with Mr. Fogel but the others stayed as well as myself.

 Inside, they told us what our task is, which was to play with kids with down syndrome and show them a good time. All the high school students were taken to a room were the staff trained us and told us what we might face, like for example if the kid your playing with has a seizure, you must run and get help. Each student was paired up with another student and each pair got one child to care for. After we were given the name and profile of the child, we had to wait until they arrived. I was paired up with my sister who is not from the same school as me, but wanted to join me. Soon enough, every one's kid arrives except the one that my sister and I were paired up with so since our kid stood us up, we were given a different job.

Our new task was to sit at the main table and deal with the parents that needed to pick up their child. This job was boring, very boring and I was a bit jealous of the other high school students because they were all having a very good time, running around and playing although the fun and games did not last much. At one point, one of the high school girls ran up to me for help because she needed a translator because her English was not fluent.  She had been bitten by one of the children. I translated what she told me so that the lady in charge would know what happened. What happened was that while they were working on their arts and crafts, the kid jumped on top of the table and bites the girl and at that moment I was more than happy about the job I was chosen to do. When all of the kids were picked up by their parents, each high school student had to write down something that they learned about the child. That was the end of our community service for the day and even though I was very tired, I would dare to do this more often.

For this article and more, you can check out the Justice Club's website at http://web.me.com/erikfogel/bronxjusticeclub.

What do we do? A lot of people have asked what does student government do?  Student government has done a lot. Not only planning pretty much every pep rally, but they plan many new activities. This year its been hard on our budget. But Student Government and the school makes due with what we have. We lead the donations for relief for Haiti. We are planning a middle school Olympics too. SGJ also made a constitution which will be used in years to come.

Who is in student government?  The positions have been a little shifty but in the beginning of the year student government included these members-

High school

President- Davante Rowa

Vice President- Melissa Melendaz

Treasure- Letia Green

Middle School-

President- Charles Athanasoplous

Vice President- Efrian Crespo

Treasurer- Armend Pashtriku

Secretary- Kathya Marte

Where and when do we meet? Is it only kids there? Well, we meet once a week on Tuesdays. I think its not that much, having all those days off and stuff. We meet in room 433. We get updated by Mrs. Coleman.  She pretty much overviews everything we do and gives her thoughts as well. Mrs. Coleman would know what's possible to do and most logical. She also is up to date on everything the school does and we do. Mrs. Coleman does a lot of work for student government AND her normal job duties.

If you have any other questions about Student Government, drop by one of our meetings or see your representative!

Armend Pashtriku is the 8th Grade Treasurer of Student Government and Debate Team member