Stuyvesant’s Moot Court team participated in the annual Metropolitan Mentor Moot Court Competition at Fordham Law School on Tuesday, November 15 and Tuesday, November 22.

The team was comprised of junior George Kaiser and seniors Shah Alam, Tyler Ross, and Anastassia Bougakova. The four are currently enrolled in Criminal Law, and when social studies teacher Linda Weissman announced the opportunity to participate in the competition, they all signed up.

During the competition, the 50 teams in attendance simulated trials based on a case written  by Fordham Law School students. In the case, Draven Malf v. Warthogs High School, a disabled student’s family sued his school after the school failed to provide him with special therapy sessions for several weeks, and he subsequently did not pass the requisite number of courses.

The Fordham students acted as Supreme Court judges in the case as one side argued for the school while the other argued on behalf of the disabled student and his parents. The competitors debated whether the school complied with the Individual Education Program, which is mandated by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, and whether the school provided a meaningful education for the student.

The Stuyvesant team won the first and second rounds, and advanced to quarterfinals, along with nine other teams, before being eliminated.

“The team’s performance was spectacular, and I’m not just saying that,” Ross said. “We made excellent speakers and our points were extremely solid and we answered the judges’ questions respectfully and absolutely on point.”