After months of hard work and dedication, senior Danielle Kakish awaits the judge’s final decision. Kakish and her partner sit nervously thinking if there is anything they missed or forgot to mention. The judge announces the winning team and Kakish and her team won first place at the district competition. She was disappointed that the seniors did not win the competition, so she wanted to try her best so that our team could win this year.

Danielle Kakish, a senior at Revere High School, has participated with the Mock Trial and Teen Court organizations throughout her high school career. Kakish felt an obligation to make herself and her team better.

Kakish has been involved with Teen Court for two years and Mock Trial for four years. She joined both organizations to be more involved in her community. She explained the difference between the two.

“Teen Court is similar to mock trial in some ways, such as the fact that students are in real courtrooms and work with real attorneys to try the case. Mock Trial, however, has a more rigid structure and requires much more preparation to try a fake case. Mock Trial focuses on proper courtroom procedure and acting to win a competition. In Teen Court, these are real juveniles who are being charged with misdemeanors,” Kakish said

Ellen Friery, the Mock Trial advisor and RHS history teacher, described Kakish as a person and as a member of Mock Trial.

“[Danielle is] intelligent, poised, confident, respectful, hardworking, [a] team player, and a responsible young woman,” Friery said.

The Mock Trial organization has four positions on the team: attorney, timekeeper, bailiff, and witness. Friery talked about Kakish’s position in the Mock Trial organization.

“She has been an attorney all four years. This means she reads, studies and analyzes two hundred pages of legal papers, [including] case law, witness statements, evidence, larval briefs and rules that comprise each case,” Friery said.

Revere senior and fellow Mock Trial member Jake Kahoe, described what separates Kakish from the rest of the attorneys in the organization.

“She’s a hard worker and very educated. She’s always talking to Mrs. Friery about how she can make the squad and herself better, and she loves to really get into cases,” Kahoe said.

Kakish is starting her fourth year in Mock Trial and hopes to help her team go beyond the regional competition. She is also beginning her second year in Teen Court where she hopes to continue her involvement in the community through court.