Mock Trial
Sponsor: Lucas Stegemiller
Dues: $5
Meetings: The Mock Trial Sponsor will communicate the information to students.
Article I – Title
The name of our team is Penn Mock Trial.
Article II – Purpose
As a mock trial team, we aim to teach students about the law & help them understand the practice as a whole. When we compete, we are to focus on teamwork and must work together to win. Penn Mock Trial must not be about who comes up on top as #1, but about the effort we put in together and where that has led us.
Article III – Executive elections
Section A. There shall be three executive roles: Two co-vice presidents and one president.
Section B. These executive roles are to be voted on by members of the club at the first meeting after the callout. Executives will only be replaced after having graduated or having quit the team. If there is a moment in which there is no need for a new executive, then there shall be no such election.
Section C. In the event of needing a new president, and there are co-vice presidents(s) who have not graduated, either A. If one remains, he or she shall take the role of president, or B. If two remain, they shall argue it out amongst themselves, and if they cannot come to a decision, then the team sponsor will choose.
Section D. Any member of the club can run as a candidate and will be provided two minutes of speaking time to lay out why they should be an executive.
Section E. In the event that all executive members graduate simultaneously, the board will be entirely made up of new executives. There will be no cherry-picking of executives.
Section F. If, for any reason, an executive is doing horribly at their job the sponsor will be allowed to sack them from the position, but they are allowed membership in the team.
Article IV – Executive Role
Section A. Executives will vote on whether or not to spend funds allocated by dues, amend the team constitution, and carry out other endeavors that have a weight of importance. The first step in the process will go from the co-vice presidents voting on the choice, where only one needs to vote yes for it to go on to step two. Step two will be the voting of the team’s president; if it passes, then it will go on to step three. Step three is the sponsors’ choice of whether or not the choice will pass.
Section B. One co-vice president will be in charge of reaching out to important figures and people; The other co-vice president will be in charge of tracking dues to ensure members have paid the bookstore for the team’s fees.
Section C. The president will send emails out to the team, along with providing all the needed information for dates, times, and any other questions a member may have.
Section D. The execs. will work with the sponsor and head of the team to work out agendas for practices. If there are slides, documents, videos, or any other material that we have access to, then the president must include that information for the benefit of all members.
Section E. Under no circumstances will there be any voting out of executives. An executive may only be sacked if the head of the team and sponsor need to so that Penn Mock Trial doesn’t fall into a chaotic state.
Section F. In the case of a sacking the sponsor will take over the executive role.
Article V – Sponsor and Coach of the team
Section A. The Sponsor’s main role is to supply the team with needed materials, a classroom, and the time for practice. As previously stated, if a executive is sacked the sponsor will take on the responsibility of the role. The current Sponsor is Mr. Lucas Stegemiller, whose email address is lstegemiller@phm.k12.in.us.
Section B. The Coach of the team should be previously experienced in law and is in charge of teaching and coaching the team. The current Coach is Mr. Matthew Raper, whose email address is matthew.r.raper@gmail.com.
Section C. Neither the Sponsor nor the Coach will receive any fiscal compensation for their time, but it will be much appreciated from all members of the team and the school itself.
Article VI – Membership
Section A. Any student currently enrolled in Penn High School has the right to become a member of the team
Section B. There will be no discrimination based on race, religion, gender, or any other factor that has to do with the personality of trait of a person.
Section C. If a member mistreats the Penn Mock Trial team or a peer they will receive a strike. After three strikes with will be suspended from the team for the remainder of the season. If that member joins Penn Mock Trial the following year they can receive one more strike or they will be permanently expelled from the team.
Section D. A member MUST pay their dues within a month before competing otherwise they will not be allowed to compete with Penn Mock Trial.
Section E. Any member of the team may request for the funds allocated by dues to be spent via an email to the President. This will then go through voting process and will either be approved or rejected.
Article VII – Team Organization and Meetings
Section A. As the number of students per competition team is controlled by the rules of the Indiana Bar Foundation Mock Trial competition, it may be necessary for the Sponsor and Coach to organize the students into multiple different competition teams. The organization of the teams shall be at the discretion of the Sponsor and Coach, and will be clearly communicated to all students involved.
Section B. Meetings will be held in the evening hours from 6:00-8:00 PM at Penn High School, Room 179 so that the greatest number of interested students may have the ability to participate. The days of the week on which meetings are held may vary between teams, depending on the availability of the students involved. The Coach and/or Sponsor will coordinate with the Executive Board to clearly communicate meeting days and times to the respective teams through e-mail, student announcements, and ParentSquare or StudentSquare, as available. Should any student or parent have questions regarding the meeting dates, they are to contact the Coach through the e-mail address provided above.
Section C. As the season progresses, the Coach and/or Sponsor may find it necessary to set up additional meetings. Any additional meetings will be discussed by the Coach, Sponsor and Executive Board and communicated in the same manner as provided for in Article VII, Section B.