During a normal school year, students of academic teams on campus stay after school and file into the teams’ respective classrooms to meet together. Some teams prepare for upcoming competitions, while others participate in bonding events. Even after school ends and friends wave farewell at each other, the campus is still bustling with activities and discussions. Being on an academic team is part of the AHS experience, but with quarantine and virtual learning in place, the teams on campus were forced to adjust and adapt from the corner of their bedrooms.

On campus, the Mock Trial team is a group of students—acting as lawyers or witnesses—who compete to present the most compelling and professional simulation of a real trial. Without the pandemic, the team would have planned to meet in the summer at one of the member’s houses to practice, polish their skills, and bond. With meetings now on Zoom, interactions are a bit more limited.

When asked about the inconveniences of online team meetings, Mock Trial Vice President Yana Verma said, “I think it’s getting to know people because we do have new members in our team. Usually, we all get to work with each other and we aren’t really restricted to one person talking at a time. It’s also really fun to be able to go to people’s houses where you can just talk to the person next to you, but now you have to wait for just one person to finish talking at a time.”

Despite the distance, Yana expressed that the team is still grateful to receive a case and the opportunity to compete in November. It is a shame, though, that members will have to miss out on the adrenaline rush from being in front of competitors, questioning witnesses, and delivering opening statements—aspects that will make Mock Trial very different this year.

Additionally, the Speech and Debate team will also be missing out on competition action now that everything is moved online, including delivering speeches. The Speech and Debate Team on campus is quite notorious for its big community and outgoing energy. These traits become more emphasized at in-person competitions, where everyone is hyped, nervous, and everything in between.

With their upcoming competition on Saturday, senior Nicole Zamani reminisces about the fun times when competitions were in person. “I liked to explore the campus in between rounds whenever we go to another school to compete. There’s also a special community, an element of togetherness by going to each other’s rounds or walking to Wushiland after competition. Those will definitely be missed.”

Nicole further explained that after her rounds, she liked to sit in and watch Duo performances. Unfortunately, it will be different this year.

Despite the distance barrier, students in academic teams are still working hard—if not even harder—to prepare themselves to lay out their best cards when competition arrives. Let’s all wish them success in the months ahead. Good luck, Arcadia!

Photo courtesy of UNSPLASH.COM