LEWISTON — The School Committee enthusiastically Monday evening approved funds to support the Lewiston High School mock trial team’s fundraising efforts to attend the national championships this spring.

The team won the Maine state championships last month for the second time in program history and qualified to compete in Little Rock, Arkansas, in May. The School Committee approved $12,000, which is unbudgeted, to cover most of the $18,000 the team estimates it will need to attend the competition.

The Lewison High School mock trial team was recognized for their state championship win last month at Monday’s School Committee meeting. Submitted photo

“We know this is a lot, but Lewiston is not commonly known for winning academic championships,” student Ava Golder said. “This is a chance for our community to make a positive statement about the quality of academics in Lewiston.”

Members agreed, even encouraging the team to return to the School Committee if they were unable to raise the remaining amount.

“This is an amazing achievement,” City Council representative Linda Scott said. “I think that when we see a lot of conversation in our community about how our education is, not always in the best of light, this is something we absolutely have to support.”

Mock trial is a competition in which students simulate a real trial, acting as lawyers and witnesses. As of Monday, the team had raised $4,700 in a GoFundMe campaign to cover the competition expenses.

The Lewiston mock trial team last won the state championship in 2019.

Megan Parks Submitted photo

At the start of the meeting, at-large representative Megan Parks was elected School Committee chairwoman with seven votes; Chairman Bruce Damon, who represents Ward 1, received two votes.

Damon was unanimously elected vice chairman.

Parks was chairwoman before Damon. Before voting, School Committee members discussed naming one chairperson for regular committee meetings and a second for student disciplinary hearings.

“Based on how some of those disciplinary hearings have gone, I would be very happy to hand over the gavel at times on some of those,” Damon said.

A few members expressed support for the proposal, but the committee ultimately did not pursue splitting the role.