Kevin Warnock

Mock Trial finalist teams gather for a group shot after their trial on February 23, 2012. The competing teams were from Lowell High School and School of the Arts. Photo includes: Marcus Wong, Negative Nancy, Havel Weidner, Malia Bow, Nico Scoliere, Cristina Rey,Elizabeth Levinson, Lena Gankin and others.

I have had a busy couple of evenings. Yesterday evening, February 22, 2012, I was at the Mentor Mixer for The Berkeley Startup Competition, which I have been involved with for years. The mixer was held at the offices of Morrison & Foerster at 425 Market Street in San Francisco, California USA. I am a mentor to one of the semi final teams this year, and I was at the mixer to meet my team for the first time.

Golden Gate University, 536 Mission Street, San Francisco, California, February 23, 2012. The finals for the 2012 San Francisco Mock Trials were held in room 2203.

On my way home on the Muni Metro, I had the good fortune to meet a very impressive young woman named Devon Ivie. She complimented me on my favorite red velvet jacket. We got to talking and it turns out we attended high school in San Francisco at the same place. It turns out she’s still in high school, though she graduates in May. Ivie told me about her involvement with San Francisco Mock Trial, which is an educational project where students pretend to be attorneys during a fake trial they conduct. She told me the public finals were to be held today, February 23, 2012, just steps from where we both boarded the subway train.

Team coaches for San Francisco Mock Trial 2012 finals held at Golden Gate University February 23, 2012. Left: Eleanor Hicks, Right: Courtney Shaw Huizar.

Devon Ivie playing prosecution attorney talks to student playing defense attorney at the San Francisco Mock Trial finals, February 23, 2012.

I did a Google search when I got home and found the Facebook page for the Mock Trial and asked a question there as to the exact room number where the event would be taking place at Golden Gate University, which teaches law among other subjects.

I received an answer so I decided to attend as a blogger, with the intention of covering the trial as a reporter of sorts.

Moderator for San Francisco Mock Trial 2012 finals held at Golden Gate University February 23, 2012

I brought my Canon 5D Mark II camera with a 135mm telephoto lens, which I used to capture stills and video clips. Tonight after the trial concluded I selected the still photographs you see here. I uploaded to this blog the full resolution 21 megapixels shots and added captions, which took hours. Since it’s late, I don’t have the energy to write a proper article about the trial right now. But I wanted to get the pictures posted tonight so that both teams would be able to see them tomorrow, a Friday.

Both teams talk after the trial. Picture includes: Clifford Yin, Marcus Wong, Negative Nancy, Havel Weidner, Malia Bow, Nico Scolieri, Cristina Rey, Elizabeth Levinson and others. San Francisco Mock Trial finals, February 23, 2012.

I don’t randomly attend events strangers on the train tell me about. I was compelled to attend this event because when I went to high school, the school I attended was named McAteer High School. McAteer was a deplorable educational institution that was so bad the city of San Francisco eventually shut it down. The campus reopened later as The School of the Arts, or SOTA. Devon Ivie is a student at SOTA. She was an attorney for the prosecution in a murder trial at the mock trial tonight. She was outstanding, as were her fellow attorneys.

Witness sworn in by bailiff during San Francisco Mock Trial finals, February 23, 2012.

Ivie told me SOTA was competing in the city wide Mock Trial finals against Lowell High School, which is generally considered to be the best public high school in San Francisco. I was and remain impressed.

Student playing witness demonstrates to Cristina Rey playing attorney for the prosecution how victim was stabbed to death. Mock Trials final in San Francisco, February 23, 2012.

I attended the Mock Trial because I wanted to see SOTA students in action, to witness first hand how a dreadful school can be turned around into a place from where winning teams regularly emerge.

Malia Bow playing witness explains a trial exhibit to Devon Ivie playing prosecution attorney. San Francisco Mock Trial 2012 finals, February 23, 2012.

I had a fantastic evening at Mock Trial tonight. I met a teacher from Lowell and spoke with him for 20 minutes about the state of the education system in the United States. I met two additional SOTA students, including one on the subway coming to the event.

I got to meet one of the coaches for the SOTA team and I got to say hello to my new friend Devon Ivie, shown here in the 4th picture from the top of this post.

Marcus Wong, playing a police officer, is questioned by student playing attorney for the defense at San Francisco Mock Trial finals 2012, February 23, 2012

Within the next few days I hope to be able to write a proper article about tonight. Please subscribe to my blog to keep up to date with this and other stories I write. I am on Facebook, so please friend me there. My status updates frequently provide quick summaries and links to my blog, so friending me is a quick way to stay abreast of my blog without needing to visit it directly.

Marcus Wong, playing a police officer, explains exhibit to Havel Weidner, playing attorney for the prosecution, at San Francisco Mock Trial 2012 finals, February 23, 2012.

I posted these pictures to an album on Facebook. If you know people in these pictures and are on Facebook, please visit my album and tag the people so I can update the captions on these pictures. Thanks!

The judge for the San Francisco Mock Trial 2012 finals, February 23, 2012, Golden Gate University.

[Note: These pictures were tagged on Facebook after I posted them there. The pictures are publicly viewable on Facebook, so I copied the names of the tagged individuals to the captions underneath these pictures today, February 25, 2012. If you are identified on this blog post and prefer to have your last name removed, send me a message and I will edit this post. This post is not meant to invade your privacy. I would be thrilled if it helps you get into college or get a great job.]