Faith Lutheran debuts mock courtroom as part of $1.8 million addition

The newest courtroom in Las Vegas is not located in downtown. It's at Faith Lutheran Middle School and High School, 2015 S. Hualapai Way.

The private school dedicated its new Crusader Justice & Advocacy Mock Trial Courtroom with a special ceremony on Aug. 31. The Mock Trial Courtroom provides Las Vegas high school students who want to study pre-law, government and public affairs or nonprofit management with a realistic place to practice their skills. Last year, Faith took the state championship in the mock trial competition and then placed in the top third nationally.

Dr. Steven Buuck is CEO of the school.

"We wanted to give our kids a really good practice space," he said, "like we did for our arts kids. We built them the best theater that we could get our hands on; we have the best athletic facilities for our athletes, so we wanted to have the best facility possible for our mock trial students."

The day was marked with balloons, visits by those who help coach the students and speeches by dignitaries. U.S. Congressman Joe Heck was on hand as the special speaker and presented the school with a flag that was flown over the Capitol.

Justice & Advocacy (J&A) Academy classes include persuasion and argument; sociology; forensic science; and trial and appellate advocacy. At the inaugural event, Faith Lutheran's Business Advisory Council presented a check for $53,000 for the new courtroom's technology package, which includes an 8-foot screen and projector, a 65-inch television for video presentations, multiple speakers and microphones to record competitions and practices, and a camera to record activity from behind the bar.

"So, just like football teams can watch plays, they can use this to study how they're doing so they can improve even more," Buuck said.

The students arrived in dark suits as though ready to argue a case and stood in the jury box. During a lull, a couple broke character for a minute to compare dance moves. All of them said the new room would help them with mock trial competitions.

Blake Bell, 17, is planning a career in law.

"It's a huge advantage to anyone who's going to start law school because you already have a grasp of what a courtroom is like," he said.

Kennedy Mason, 17 and a senior who started mock trials last year, spoke about how last year's team had to practice in a regular classroom, which didn't give the sense of being in a real court setting.

"Going from the classroom and moving to a federal courtroom was a huge leap ... It was the worst part of it all," he said. "It wasn't the memorization. It wasn't the work — you can do all that — but step into a courtroom, and it's a whole new game."

During practice last year, Zach Smith, 16 and a sophomore, said he talked to a blank wall when he addressed the jury.

"We're very lucky to have this," Smith said. "In Nevada, for mock trials specifically, our competitor is, obviously, (Bishop) Gorman, and this gives us a huge advantage against them. This makes it so we're familiar with where to stand, how to talk, how to address (people), so we're very fortunate."

Allyson Coy, 14 and a freshman, said a handful of girls are in the program. They may be few in number but their aspirations are just as high.

"I want to get to the Supreme Court one day and be one of the justices," she said. "I think this helps me (get there) because it makes you think very quickly on your feet, and it helps you be more active in society."

Students in J&A must maintain a weighted GPA of 3.5 or above in core classes and continually participate in Mock Trial, Moot Court, We the People, Model United Nations or Trial by Peers. Completion of a 50-hour internship program is also required. More than 80 students participate in the program.

The mock courtroom will double as a classroom. The room has five rows of tables, outfitted with plug for electronics. Each table can accommodate five rolling chairs.

Up front where the lawyers sit, the table tops are marble.

"They spared no expense in this room," said Robin Joyce, director of development at Faith Lutheran.

Student tuition at Faith Lutheran for the 2015-16 academic year is $11,100.

The mock trial room is part of a $1.8 million, 8,720-square-foot addition that also includes five new classrooms, which allowed the school to accept 150 more students this year.

"This is just the next step in the plan to continue to grow this school," Buuck said. "We plan to double its size."

He said that would occur in probably 15 to 20 years.

Visit faithlutheranlv.org.

— To reach Summerlin Area View reporter Jan Hogan, email jhogan@viewnews.com or call 702-387-2949.