Mock Trial
Mock Trial is an after-school club where each year, teams across the state receive a fictional criminal case, which this year is a made-up murder case. They prepare the prosecution and defense sides of the case, witnesses learn and act out the information given in their statements, and attorneys ask questions and make objections in order to build their case, as well as fill in courtroom staff roles.
In competitions, they go up against teams from other schools. They compete in real courtrooms, with real judges and attorneys scoring each team. The first competition took place on Jan. 25 against Da Vinci Charter Academy, which Rio won.
“Our team has worked very hard and it’s fun to see our hard work pay off,” Mock Trial co-president Mia Golden said. “Everyone is nervous, of course, but I think we are mostly excited and feeling good about our upcoming season.”
Mathletes
Mathletes is a math-based competition made up of five events: algebra, trigonometry, arithmetic, geometry and problem-solving. The first four events are solo, with each person getting ten minutes to work on two problems. The problem-solving event is also called “group,” where three people work together on a problem.
The competition season lasts from October to April, with monthly competitions at different schools in the area. The April competition will be held at Rio.
This season has shown significant improvements from last season, according to club president Olivia Huang. Last year, the team ranked eighth place overall but currently sits at fourth.
“It’s entirely thanks to Haley last year because we were able to train a lot of freshmen,” Huang said.
Speech and Debate
Speech and Debate is a club where members can choose to compete against other schools in multiple different categories, including but not limited to Lincoln-Douglas, Informative, Impromptu and Parliamentary. Competitions occur once a month and alternate between speech and debate.
“I find our club to be a very relaxed, non-judgemental atmosphere to develop public speaking skills,” said club president Mia Golden. “While not all of our members are competing this year, those who have been [are] doing well.”
Speech and Debate’s next competition will be Feb. 3, and for a lot of members, it will be their first. Additionally, the state qualifiers will be coming up soon.
Chase Dinaburg • Feb 4, 2024 at 9:17 PM
Speech and debate, Mathletes, and Mock Trial are truly staples of Rio Americanos academic excellence. These programs have thrived for many previous years and have great present leaders to carry them on. I love how competitive these groups are, and how much they are interested in knowing. truly inspiring
Kate • Feb 4, 2024 at 3:43 PM
So impressive! As a Rio student myself, I had no idea how much we are succeeding in our academic competition teams! The mock trial seems like such an interesting subject, as the topic is a made-up murder case. I am hoping for success in all areas!
Fatima • Feb 4, 2024 at 2:36 PM
This was an interesting article. I like how there is brief information about each club. Our classmates are doing great and I wish them good luck on their upcoming competitions.
marina • Feb 3, 2024 at 4:21 PM
After reading this article, I am now more educated regarding how some of the clubs at Rio work. All the students participating in these clubs are very hardworking and strive to become better every day. Mock trial specifically highlights a fictional murder case which is quite interesting. Before reading this I was aware of these clubs but did not know how competitions were held.