Embedded Files
A Commitment to Our Schools
A Commitment to Our Schools
I am running for the school board because I have a stake in the South Bend school system across multiple generations. My older children have already graduated from Adams, Clay, and Riley high schools, my daughter Jackie is currently at LaSalle Middle School, and my youngest, Steven, is a future student.
By the time my youngest graduates in 2040, l will have had children continuously enrolled in South Bend Schools for a staggering 35 consecutive years. I know our schools because I have supported my kids through a litany of extracurriculars: marching band, orchestra, choir, drama, quiz bowl, mock trial, gaming clubs, and Girls on the Run. My children have participated in the International Baccalaureate (IB) program at Adams, the Fine Arts magnet at Clay, and the Engineering magnet program at Riley. Over the years, my children have also attended Madison, Kennedy, Clay International Academy, and LaSalle.
Investing in Our Students' Success
Investing in Our Students' Success
I don't just watch from the sidelines; I coach. For the past nine years, I have poured my passion into coaching a Mock Trial team at Adams High School, leading two teams to the state championship finals as runners-up and volunteering as a high school and college mock trial judge. In 2025, I also helped coach a Heart & Soul team (the middle school version of Girls on the Run) at LaSalle. When my boys were Cub Scouts, I served as Committee Chair of their pack for five years.
Personal History
A former National Merit Scholar, I earned three degrees from the University of Florida—a B.A. in Political Science, a B.A. in Religion, and an M.A. in Political Science—all while starting my family. When I and my husband, Greg, moved to South Bend in 2000 with a toddler and shortly after a newborn, I faced a challenge: needing to supplement the family income without the budget for daycare. The solution? I became an early e-commerce pioneer, building a successful vintage reselling business on eBay and Ruby Lane that has turned a profit every year.
But if you ask me what my greatest legacy is, it's my children. Not just my own children: Doug, Rachel, Patrick, Abby, Jackie, and Steven; but also the mock trial kids I have coached and mentored.
When I am not coaching or hunting for vintage treasures, you can usually find me staying active in our community. I lead our church music ministry—playing the piano, "pretending" to play the organ, and directing the choir—and I frequently provide music for local funeral services. To recharge, I love running (I recently tackled the Sunburst Half Marathon), reading widely across two local book clubs, and keeping a sharp eye on local governance. For me, following politics is like following a favorite sport—I care deeply about how the game is played and who wins for our community.
I am running for school board because I bring a unique blend of academic policy expertise, entrepreneurial grit, and an unmatched 35-year parental perspective to the table. I know where South Bend Schools have been, where we are today, and what it will take to help our students thrive for generations to come.
Mock Trial Coaching
Mock Trial is an academic competition that teaches students confidence, creativity, writing skills, logical thinking, public speaking, and an impressive command of the Federal Rules of Evidence. In Indiana, the high school mock trial program is run by the Indiana Bar Foundation, a non-profit focused on civic education and engagement.
John Adams High School in South Bend has a long history of competing in mock trial at the highest level. The program has won nineteen state championships and two national championships, as well as at least three teams that completed in the state championship round and finished as runner-up. The program shrunk during the COVID years. Prior to 2021, the Adams Mock Trial program involved 75-100 students each year, comprising 10-15 separate teams. Since 2021 the program has been smaller, ranging from 5-8 teams. Most teams develop close bonds as they stay together throughout their four years of high school, and an intense practice and scrimmage schedule helps multiple teams qualify for State each year.
Indiana State Mock Trial State Champion Runner Up Team 2026 "Bham & Slahm"
Indiana State Mock Trial State Champion Runner Up Team 2026 "Bham & Slahm"
From left: Brandon Rickey (assistant coach), John Scanlan (assistant coach), Xanthippe Higgins, Bow Hartz, Teddy Swanson, Yehonathan Omer-Springs, Maeve O'Brien, Caroline Dawson, Mary McVeigh, and Cheryl Moody (head coach)
Indiana State Mock Trial State Champion Runner Up Team 2022 "Mock Block"
Indiana State Mock Trial State Champion Runner Up Team 2022 "Mock Block"
From left: Cheryl Moody (coach), Steven Moody (baby and team mascot), Cole Evans, Sam Mishak, Ben Guerrero, Andew Eleff, Kyara Scoria, Seth Connelly, and Katelin Mackenzie
How did I become a coach?
My son, Doug Moody, joined Mock Trial as a freshman at Adams in the fall of 2013 and in 2017 his team won the state championship and represented Indiana at nationals. As a team parent, over 4 years of watching the team at every scrimmage and every round of competition, I grew to love the program. After Doug and his friends graduated, I was invited to start coaching myself. My only qualification as a coach was having paid attention the previous four years.
Most coaches at Adams are lawyers, law professors, or former graduates with extensive mock trial experience. I am none of those things. Many coaches also coach during the years their own children are competing and then stop. Statewide in other schools, most coaches are either lawyers in the community with some connection to the school, or teachers at the school who sponsor the program. As far as I know, I am the only coach who is not a legal professional, a teacher, or a parent of a competing student.
Not Necessarily (2017 Champions) cake
Bham & Slahm cake
Coaching mock trial is a great joy of my life. I like to say it is the only thing I do purely for the love of it and the joy it brings me. All of my other hobbies and activities I enjoy, but there is also some other reason I do it. I run because I enjoy running, but also to be healthy. I read because I love reading, but also because I am trying to stay educated and up to date. I am active in my church music ministry because I love music, but also because I have a duty to serve somehow. Mock trial is only fun. Even when I get aggravated with it, I am still having a blast.
In 2026 I finished my 9th year of coaching. In that time, I have coached two teams for all four years of high school, and both of those teams made it to the State Championship round. Both lost in the final and finished the season as championship runners up. I am the happiest losing coach you ever met. I am enormously proud of both of these groups of kids and all they accomplished. I am exciting to keep coaching a new group of students this year!
In addition to coaching, I also judge high school and college mock trial competitions. In 2024 I helped judge the College Nationals level in Chicago.
The cakes you see on this page are "hearsay" cakes. The Hearsay set of exceptions under rule 801 in the Federal Rules of Evidence are foundational to a good understanding of mock trial. When Doug's team won the state championship, I made a hearsay cake for them. Then when I started coaching, my team saw pictures of it and wanted one. I told them if they made it to the final round I would make them their own version. Then the pattern repeated with the next team, and now it is a tradition. Any team I am associated with that makes it to the final round will get a cake, although I may expand past the hearsay rules for future cakes.
Mock Block cake
Page updated
Google Sites
Report abuse