SM 29 — GENE FRANCHINI MOCK TRIAL PROGRAM

SENATEA MEMORIAL 29RECOGNIZING 54THE THCENTER LEGISLATURE-FOR STATECIVIC OFVALUES NEWGENE MEXICOFRANCHINI -HIGH FIRSTSCHOOL SESSIO,MOCK 2019TRIAL INTRODUCEDPROGRAM BYIN JacobNEW R.MEXICO.

Candelaria5 6WHEREAS, 8the 10center Afor MEMORIALcivic RECOGNIZINGvalues THEis CENTERa FORNew CIVICMexico VALUESnonprofit GENEcorporation FRANCHINIorganized HIGHin SCHOOL1962 MOCKby TRIALthe PROGRAMNew INMexico NEWstate MEXICO.bar foundation to provide education and resources for public participation in the law;

14and WHEREAS, for more than forty years, the center for civic values ishas coordinated, facilitated, supported and encouraged a Newhigh Mexicoschool nonprofitmock corporationtrial organizedprogram, inan 1962educational byinitiative thefor Newhigh Mexicoschools statestatewide barthat foundationteaches tostudents provideabout educationthe andlaw, resourcesthe forlegal publicsystem eand tcivics, 17now participationknown inas the law;Gene Franchini high school mock trial program;

and w l n d 18 WHEREAS, formock moretrials thanare fortydynamic years,and therewarding centerskill- forand civiccharacter-building =academic = 19 a l values has coordinated, facilitated, supported and encouragedsocial aexperiences i a e r 20 high school mock trial program, an educational initiative for a t m m 21 high schools statewide that teaches students about the law, the d r e 22 legal system and civics, now known as the Gene Franchini high c e s k 23 school mockstudents; trial program;

and e a n b 24 WHEREAS, mock trials are dynamic and rewarding skill- and u [ character-building academic and social experiences for high .212767.1 school students;

and SM 29 WHEREAS, licensed attorneys donate their time to Page 1 students by coaching teams and mentoring the high school students;

and WHEREAS, state and federal court judges and licensed e e 17 attorneys volunteer to judge the mock trial competitions, e e n d 18 serving as presiding judges who make evidentiary rulings and = = l ] 19 score the performance and presentation of the students a l r i 20 competing;

and t e a t WHEREAS, each March, the top teams advance to the state m m 21 e d r e 22 finals in Albuquerque, with the winner going on to represent c e r c 23 the state at the national championship, held each year in a e a n b 24 different United States city;

and u [ WHEREAS, in May 2012, the center for civic values hosted .212767.1 - 2 - the national high school mock trial championship, drawing about six hundred students competing in the championship from other states, South Korea, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Australia and Ireland;

and WHEREAS, the high school mock trial teams from New Mexico have competed successfully in the national SM 29 Page 2 championships, with a team from Albuquerque academy winning the national championship in 2012 and 2013;

and WHEREAS, the university of New Mexico school of law recognizes that, by hosting this program in the law school, it e e 17 offers an opportunity for law students to mentor high school e e n d 18 students, thereby building the law students' skills and = = l ] 19 reinforcing a culture of giving back to local communities;

a l r i 20 NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE OF THE STATE t e a t OF NEW MEXICO that it recognize the more than forty years of m m 21 e d r e 22 outstanding work by the center for civic values to implement c e r c 23 the Gene Franchini high school mock trial program and that it e a n b 24 support the continuance of this cherished program;

and u [ BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this memorial be .212767.1 - 3 - transmitted to the center for civic values, the state bar of New Mexico, the university of New Mexico school of law and the secretary of public education.

-SM 429 -Page 63 825 10 12 14 16 e e 17 e e n d 18 = = l ] 19 a l r i 20 t e a t m m 21 e d r e 22 c e r c 23 e a n b 24 u [ .212767.1