Over 200 members of the sophomore class gathered in the auditorium Feb. 24 as Mock Trial presented “People of the State of Illinois v. Peyton Reed,” a criminal case, to English II students.

The event, a collaboration between the Mock Trial team and sophomore English teachers, aimed to provide students with an immersive look at the legal system while reinforcing concepts from “To Kill a Mockingbird.”

Mock Trial co-coaches Mr. Ricky King and Mr. Kevin Shakley worked with English teacher Mrs. Ashley Durdan-Levy to align the presentation with the novel’s courtroom climax.

Durdan-Levy proposed the partnership to make students’ learning more tangible.

“A really strong foundation in all of my teaching is,” Durdan-Levy said, making the curriculum “relevant outside the four walls of my classroom.”

By staging a courtroom simulation in the auditorium during 3rd and 4th hour, the presentation aimed at helping students see how legal proceedings unfold, how attorneys structure arguments, and how cases are decided.

“This was my brainchild,” Durdan-Levy said. “But Mr. Bovenkerk and Mr. Krogmeier helped me iron out the details and figure out the logistics.”

Among those details was which legal concepts were essential to understanding the “level of injustice” in Harper Lee’s novel.

“Theres a gap that exists,” Durdan-Levy said, in students understanding of how the legal system should work compared to how it functions in chapters 16-20 of “Mockingbird.”

The case sophomores observed—this year’s Mock Trial competition case—centers on high school senior Peyton Reed, who hosted a party where another teen suffered a near-fatal fentanyl overdose. Prosecutors charged Reed with possession of fentanyl with intent to deliver and aggravated battery.

While the case differed from “To Kill a Mockingbird,” it reinforced key legal principles, including hearsay, chain of custody, the jury system, and burden of proof. To further connect the material, students completed a worksheet covering trial terminology and courtroom procedures.

While the legal system can feel distant or confusing, the goal of the collaboration, Durdan-Levy said, of seeing it play out live was to give students a more concrete understanding.

The event not only deepened students’ understanding of the judicial process but also showcased the work of the Mock Trial team.

While this was the first collaboration between English II and Mock Trial, teachers are already planning improvements for next year’s presentation.

“We walked away thinking, ‘Okay, this is amazing—but here’s what we want it to look like next year,’” Durdan-Levy said. “We want to make it interactive. Instead of students just sitting there and watching, we want them to ask questions, pause at key moments, and really walk away understanding things like burden of proof, jury selection, cross-examination, and objections. Our goal is to continue making it better and more relevant to students.”