The Marshall-Brennan chapter at Lee Williams High School in Kingman has first and second place finishes in its first two years of national competition before a panel of federal judges in Washington D.C. Students participating in the club learn about law, the Constitution and U.S. Supreme Court.
Senior River Sutton won the national championship last year when Lee Williams sent its first team to the finals for the very first time. And junior Katie Marbury finished second when the 2019 finals concluded on April 7.
Mohave County public defender Nathan Best and deputy county attorney Karolina Czaplinska, assisted by retired Superior Court Judge Steve Conn, mentor students in the Marshall-Brennan Kingman chapter. They are amazed how well the local club has done it its first two years when competing against long established chapters affiliated with major law schools at universities such as Rutgers.
Competing at nationals along with Marbury were Lee Williams juniors Arden Shickner and Bryn Zachreson and senior Lacy Scott. Marbury and Shickner worked their way through the semi finals and into the finals where Marbury finished second arguing as a respondent before District Court judges.
“I’ve never been more proud,” Czaplinska said of Marbury. “She kept her cool. She was polite. She was respectful. Her answers to questions made a ton of sense. It was amazing.”
Best called Marbury “a late bloomer” who didn’t really get to practice contemporaneous argument until a week before nationals.
“For her to keep her composure and do as well as she did, I’m extremely proud of her,” Best said. He said students are developing skill sets that will help them in their career pursuits. “What they’re really learning through the club is superior communication skills, persuasion skills and being able to stand up in a crowded room and speak well,” Best. He said they would like to expand the program and start chapters in Lake Havasu and Bullhead City, but that they’ll need attorneys to volunteer as mentors before approaching schools to start clubs.
