Tracy High’s county and state award-winning mock trial team is quickly approaching the peak of its season at the San Joaquin County Mock Trial Competition which takes place Feb. 24-28, at the San Joaquin County Superior Courthouse. This year’s case? Art theft.

“As a team we hope to win county again this year,” defense attorney Pallavi Adapa said. “We need to make up for last year’s loss at county against Venture. We are going to do our best to do even better than two years ago.”

Adapa, junior, has been on the team for three years.

“We want to feel that we grew as a team,” coach Justin Nunn said. “To be better people than we were at the beginning of the season.”

Nunn shared that the team scrimmages regularly to prepare for both the county and state competitions.

“It helps the team to understand how they stack up to the best teams in the area,” Nunn said.

People v. Shem is the trial of Evan Shem, who is studying for a masters of fine arts

degree at Hamiltonia University. Shem faces one felony count, theft by larceny, for the

theft of treason, a painting by Fletcher Yazoo. Treason is owned by wealthy art collector

Marty McCulloch.

Adapa is most excited for the competition in Carmel on the weekend of Jan. 23-25.

“Our goal is to win as many medals in Carmel as possible,” Adapa said. “This is our first time going to this specific competition.”

Adapa and the team expect Carmel to be similar to the NorCal competition the team has participated in the previous three years.

Senior Gianna Mousalimas, who plays the shadow defendant Charlie Gibbons, agrees with Adapa, but is anxious to face the new competition in Carmel.

Mousalimas’s individual goal is to get rated a five by the scorers at county.

Nunn enjoys winning, but hopes the students see another side to mock trial.

“My biggest fear is that the kids won’t get anything out of it, and will think the only thing that matters is winning,” Nunn said. “I just want them to go out and do their absolute best, that is all I ask for.”

Over the past five years, Tracy and Venture Academy have been the biggest rivals at the county competition.

Two years ago Tracy swept Venture. Last year, it was close, but Venture took the win.

“We will get Venture this year,” Adapa said. “I can feel it.”