St. Bonaventure Wins 2020 Ventura County Mock Trial
Oak Park Takes 2^nd Place and Westlake 3^rd

St. Bonaventure High School in Ventura is the winner of the 2020 Ventura County Mock Trial. St. Bonaventure emerged victorious after four days of competition that included teams from 26 high school throughout Ventura County. The Mock Trial results were announced this evening at an awards ceremony at Buena High School in Ventura. Here is how the top eight teams placed:

1. St. Bonaventure High School
2. Oak Park High School - Black Team
3. Westlake High School
4. Santa Susana High School - Lincoln Team
5. Newbury Park High School - Gold Team
6. St. Augustine Academy
7. Oaks Christian High School
8. Santa Susana High School – Hamilton Team

This is the first time St. Bonaventure has won the competition according to records which date back to 1994. St. Bonaventure will now go on to the California Mock Trial contest March 20-22 in Los Angeles. Ventura County has taken first place at the state level in 2008, 2011, 2012 and 2013.

About the 2020 Ventura County Mock Trial

The Mock Trial competition is coordinated annually by the Ventura County Office of Education. Courtroom drama comes to life as students take on the roles of participants in a criminal trial, including attorneys, witnesses, bailiffs and journalists. The students present their cases in real courtrooms before actual local judges who volunteer for the competition. Local attorneys serve as coaches and score the competition. This year’s fictitious case is People v. Matsumoto: A Murder Trial.

High schools participating this year are: Adolfo Camarillo High School, Agoura High School, Buena High School, Calabasas High School, Channel Islands High School, Fillmore High School, Grace Brethren Jr/Sr High School, La Reina High School, Monte Vista Independent Learning Academy, Newbury Park High School, Nordhoff High School, Oak Park High School, Oaks Christian School, Oxnard High School, Pacifica High School, Rio Mesa High School, Royal High School, Saint Bonaventure High School, Santa Paula High School, Santa Susana High School, Simi Valley High School, St. Augustine Academy, Thousand Oaks High School, Trinity Pacific Christian School, Ventura High School, and Westlake High School.

This year’s Ventura County Mock Trial logo artwork was created by June Liu from La Reina High School in Thousand Oaks.

Additional information about the 2020 Ventura County Mock Trial is available at vcoe.org/mocktrial.

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About the Ventura County Office of Education

The Ventura County Office of Education provides a broad array of fiscal, training and technology support services to local school districts, helping to maintain and improve lifelong educational opportunities for children, educators and community members. VCOE also operates schools that serve students with severe disabilities and behavioral issues, provides career education courses, and coordinates countywide academic competitions including Mock Trial and the Ventura County Science Fair. Learn more at: www.vcoe.org.