I met Henri while he was a student in my Spanish 3-4 (second year) class. Henri immediately distinguished himself as a real “go-getter” because he asked many questions and always participated. He was always alert, on task, and engaged in each lesson. It was obvious from the start that Henri was curious and eager to learn. His homework was always well done and showed that he had put thought and effort into his work. Often his homework was marked up with notes or translations that were not part of the required assignment. He paid extremely close attention to details. Henri always scored well on his tests, and was easily able to communicate ideas in both Spanish and English in the classroom.
It was no surprise, then, when Henri became a member of the Mock Trial team, that he excelled at the challenging role as a lawyer. I am the team’s Teacher Coach and my husband, a Superior Court Judge in Los Angeles County, volunteers as the Attorney Coach. It is in this role as the Teacher Advisor that I have had the opportunity to get to know Henri better and to observe his outstanding analytical and communication skills, and his ability to think quickly on his feet.
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During tryouts his Junior year, Henri showed such strong potential that he was deemed a good fit for the lawyer role. During rehearsals, Henri quickly showed his abilities to speak comfortably in front of his peers. Both my husband and I were instantly impressed with his critical thinking skills and his ability to grasp the complex legal issues the Constitutional Rights Foundation builds into these cases. His ability to understand and formulate questions that pinpointed specific issues and evidence surpassed those of many real-life