September 19, 2023
HAHIRA – Valwood students Alex Gee and Maggie Mays will travel to Atlanta in late September to attend an intensive, four-day law academy conducted by the State Bar of Georgia.
Gee, a senior, is entering his third year as a member of the Valwood Mock Trial team, school officials said in a statement. Mays, also a senior, will be entering her fourth season.
“Alex and Maggie have been significant players in our program for several years,” said Daryn Beasley, Valwood Mock Trial coach. “This opportunity will allow both of them to contribute in new and different ways to their team.”
Gee and Mays have filled multiple competing roles for the Valiants. As witnesses, the two have portrayed both law enforcement and bystander involved in the recreation of crimes for the state-wide Georgia High School Mock Trial Competition. As juniors, both Gee and Mays competed as attorneys handling a complex civil complaint.
The Law Academy is designed to provide opportunities to high school mock trial students to enhance their skills in the fields of trial technique and procedure, rules of evidence, witness presentation and team leadership.
A private tour of the Georgia Court of Appeals, the State Bar of Georgia and the Georgia Supreme Court is also a part of the program. At the end of the sessions, students will take an exam that will potentially qualify them for admission into the Student Bar of Georgia.
Gee and Mays are among only 50 applicants in the state accepted into the illustrious program. This is the second time that Valwood has been represented by two students, and the pair carry on a tradition of Valwood Mock Trial players attending the Law Academy each year.
“Alex and Maggie are such gifted mock trial competitors, and I am thrilled that they had the desire to apply for this great program,” said Beasley. “The opportunities and experiences of the Georgia State Bar Law Academy will not only prepare them for their senior season but will enlighten them to aspects of our nation’s legal system like never before.”
