Clarksburg High School’s very own mock trial team has made it into the playoffs! 

Mock trial teams from twenty-five different schools from across the county went head-to-head during the month of January, arguing in court as either the plaintiff or the defense. The top twelve teams, including the Clarksburg team, move on to the playoffs, where they will go against each other once again.

Our defense team went up against Berman Hebrew Academy and Quince Orchard High School, while our plaintiff team went up against Seneca Valley High School and Northwest High School. Thanks to the hard work of our members, we finished in eighth place in the county. For these rounds, our score was 3-1. Our one loss was the result of the opposing schools being awarded the tiebreaker point. 

If our team makes it through the playoffs, we’ll move on to the quarter-finals, semi-finals, and eventually finals to see which school will be crowned county champions. After that, county champions from all over Maryland will participate and vie for the state championship. 

Each side consists of three lawyers, who do the arguing and questioning, and three witnesses, who must embody their characters. Though the competition was in January, preparations began as early as November. 

Other than the fact that there were scripts and time limits, the rounds were structured just like a real trial. The competition took place in the Montgomery County Circuit Court in Rockville, giving students the chance to experience the feeling of being in a real courtroom and adding an element of realism. 

The judge gives points to each student based on their performance, and the team who ends up with the most points wins. The outcome of the case itself does not matter, as long as each person gave a quality performance and got a sufficient number of points.

This year's case was interesting and complex. It’s about a parent suing a correctional institution for the mistreatment and improper care of their son while he was incarcerated, eventually leading to his suicide. They are also suing a corrections officer at the facility for harming, instead of protecting, their son. Despite having so much to do with prisons, it is not a criminal case but rather a civil case. This means that the plaintiff does not have to prove beyond a reasonable doubt. Additionally, with civil cases, the plaintiff can choose what they want to sue the other side for, so each trial is unique.

The witnesses for the prosecution were the parent, a fellow inmate, and an expert in corrections management. The witnesses for the defense were the warden of the prison, the officer being sued, and a gang leader at the prison. Some of the witnesses were more helpful than others, but each of the students playing them were phenomenal, answering questions with ease. 

If reading about this was interesting, consider auditioning for our mock trial team next year! With half the team graduating this year, new members are welcome and needed. 

2026 Oscar Picks and Predictions

Emma Mukhija

With 2025 finally behind us, it’s time for the best part of the new year: Oscar season. While 2024 was a largely mundane year in film, 2025 brought life back into cinema, with every other film being a hit. On January 22, the Academy announced all the nominees for this year’s Academy Awards, and there were plenty of surprises. Here are my personal picks and predictions as to what will win in (almost) every category!

Best Actor

Timothée Chalamet, Marty Supreme Prediction

Leonardo DiCaprio, One Battle After Another

Ethan Hawke, Blue Moon

Michael B. Jordan, Sinners Pick

Wagner Moura, The Secret Agent

Commentary: I enjoyed Marty Supreme, and I think that one of the main reasons it worked was because of Timothée Chalamet’s performance. That being said, I do still prefer Michael B. Jordan or even Leonardo DiCaprio’s performances to him. If Chalamet wins the award, I won’t necessarily be upset, but I think that Jordan, who did an amazing job at playing two characters in the same film and making them seem like two distinct people, was slightly more impressive.

Best Actress

Jessie Buckley, Hamnet Pick & Prediction

Rose Bryne, If I Had Legs I’d Kick You

Kate Hudson, Song Sung Blue

Renate Reinsve, Sentimental Value

Emma Stone, Bugonia

Commentary: I’m not entirely sure why Kate Hudson was nominated; I’ve heard good things about her performance but nothing phenomenal. There were also so many other fantastic performances this year that I can’t help but wonder why someone like Eva Victor (Sorry, Baby) or Chase Infiniti (One Battle After Another) wasn’t given the nomination instead. Granted, nominating anyone else instead of Hudson wouldn’t be likely to shake things up much considering how Jessie Buckley will undoubtedly — and deservedly — take home the award. 

Supporting Actor

Benicio del Toro, One Battle After Another

Jacob Elordi, Frankenstein Pick

Delroy Lindo, Sinners

Sean Penn, One Battle After Another

Stellan Skarsgård, Sentimental Value Prediction

Supporting Actress

Elle Fanning, Sentimental Value

Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas, Sentimental Value Pick

Amy Madigan, Weapons

Wunmi Mosaku, Sinners

Teyana Taylor, One Battle After Another Prediction

Best Picture

Bugonia

F1

Frankenstein

Hamnet Pick

Marty Supreme

One Battle After Another Prediction

The Secret Agent

Sentimental Value

Sinners

Train Dreams

Commentary: Like everyone else, I’m confused as to why anyone even considered nominating F1. It’s extremely out of place, especially considering how many great films came out this year. Nevertheless, I think it’s pretty clear that One Battle After Another will win; the only other film I see having any real chance is Sinners. I would in no way be upset if Sinners won, but view it as highly unlikely. My personal favorite film of the year was Hamnet because of how beautifully heartwrenching it was, but I don’t see it as a strong contender to win.

Best Director

Chloé Zhao, Hamnet

Josh Safdie, Marty Supreme

Paul Thomas Anderson, One Battle After Another Prediction

Joachim Trier,  Sentimental Value Pick

Ryan Coogler, Sinners

Commentary: This was one of the hardest categories for me to pick my personal winner in. It’s a very close call for me, but I would say Joachim Trier because he was able to direct such a moving film. He was also able to blend in a lot of unique elements, which I really enjoyed. I definitely think that Paul Thomas Anderson will win, however, if only because he’s gone so long in his career without receiving an Oscar.

Best International Feature

Brazil, The Secret Agent

France, It Was Just an Accident

Norway, Sentimental Value Pick & Prediction

Spain, Sirāt 

Tunisia, The Voice of Hind Rajab

Best Cinematography

Dan Lausten, Frankenstein

Darius Khondji, Marty Supreme

Michael Bauman, One Battle After Another Pick

Autumn Durald Arkapaw, Sinners Prediction

Adolpho Veloso, Train Dreams

Commentary: I’m a bit surprised that Hamnet wasn’t nominated given how masterful  Łukasz Żal’s cinematography was, and how well it captured the quiet heartbreak of the film. That being said, out of all the nominees I think One Battle After Another’s cinematography might be my favorite. Sinners was great, and I’ll be glad if it does end up winning, but I loved how the car chase scenes in One Battle After Another were shot. Despite being a high-speed chase, everything looked so smooth, which was different from how these scenes are normally shown in film. 

Best Makeup and Hairstyling

Mike Hill, Jordan Samuel, and Cliona Furey, Frankenstein Pick & Prediction

Kyoko Toyokawa, Naomi Hibino, and Tadashi Nishimatsu, Kokuho

Ken Diaz, Mike Fontaine, and Shunika Terry, Sinners

Kazu Hiro, Glen Griffin, and Bjoern Rehbein, The Smashing Machine

Thomas Foldberg and Anne Cathrine Sauerberg, The Ugly Stepsister

Commentary: I don’t think any other film’s makeup this year impressed me, or anyone else, as much as Frankenstein did with The Creature. The film’s makeup team put so many hours each day into the transformation and they really succeeded in making Jacob Elordi look unrecognizable, allowing the audience to be fully immersed in the world of the movie.  It would seem strange if anyone else took this award home.

Best Costume Design

Deborah L. Scott, Avatar: Fire and Ash

Kate Hawley, Frankenstein Pick & Prediction

Malgosia Turzanska, Hamnet

Miyako Bellizzi, Marty Supreme

Ruth E. Carter, Sinners

Commentary: Frankenstein excelled at the artistic aspects, especially with their costumes. They did a great job at conveying the tone of the film and were beautiful to look at. I think they’ll take home this award, but I would be happy as long as anyone except for Avatar: Fire & Ash won. I wasn’t a big fan of what they did, and I think all the other nominees are more deserving. 

Best Casting

Nina Gold, Hamnet

Jennifer Vendetti, Marty Supreme

Cassandra Kulukundis, One Battle After Another

Gabriel Domingues, The Secret Agent

Francine Maisler, Sinners Pick & Prediction

Best Editing

Stephen Mirrione, F1

Ronald Bronstein and Josh Safdie, Marty Supreme Pick

Andy Jurgensen, One Battle After Another Prediction

Olivier Bugge Coutté, Sentimental Value

Michael P. Shawver, Sinners

Best Original Score

Jerskin Fendrix, Bugonia

Alexandre Desplat, Frankenstein

Max Richter, Hamnet

Johnny Greenwood, One Battle After Another Pick

Ludwig Goransson, Sinners Prediction

Best Production Design

Tamara Deverell and Shane Vieau, Frankenstein Pick & Prediction

Fiona Crombie and Alice Felton, Hamnet

Jack Fisk and Adam Willis, Marty Supreme

Florencia Martin and Anthony Carlino, One Battle After Another

Hannah Beachler and Monique Champagne, Sinners

Best Adapted Screenplay

Will Tracy, Bugonia

Guillermo del Toro, Frankenstein

Chloé Zhao and Maggie O'Farrell, Hamnet Pick

Paul Thomas Anderson, One Battle After Another Prediction

Clint Bentley and Greg Kwedar, Train Dreams

Best Original Screenplay

Robert Kaplow, Blue Moon

Jafar Panahi, It Was Just an Accident

Ronald Bronstein and Josh Safdie, Marty Supreme

Eskil Vogt and Joachim Trier, Sentimental Value

Ryan Coogler, Sinners Pick & Prediction

Commentary: If Sinners doesn’t win, I’ll be shocked. Even though I don’t see it winning Best Picture because of One Battle After Another, I can’t imagine anything beating it for Original Screenplay. It was extremely strong and while the other screenplays nominated were great as well, I just don’t think they quite match the level that Sinners was at. It blended genres seamlessly, and was equal parts emotional and action-packed, achieving a feat that most screenplays can only dream of.

AMC Rio, Landmark Bethesda Row, and AFI Silver Spring are three Maryland theaters still playing many of this year’s Oscar nominated films. Go out and watch as many as possible before the 98th Academy Awards air on Sunday, March 15 at 7 P.M. EST on YouTube, ABC, and Hulu! Be sure to tune in to see who ends up taking home all these awards and more.