The National Advocacy Center (NAC) is a training center run by the U.S. Department of Justice where prosecutors, judges, and lawyers from across the country come to sharpen their courtroom and decision-making skills. It’s essentially a professional training hub where real legal cases are studied and practiced so those working in the justice system are better prepared to serve the public. Every year, our high school seniors get the opportunity to be mock jurors in both fall and spring semesters.

Our Seniors excelled at the recent 2026 Spring NAC event. The NAC staff, teaching faculty, lawyers, and judges had nothing but the highest praise for our seniors serving as mock trial jurors. They were deeply impressed by the caliber of their thinking, their ability to analyze and synthesize complex facts and evidence—including connections the attorneys themselves did not always make—and the clarity and maturity of their deliberations. One faculty member who has been with the NAC since 2002 went so far as to say this was the best jury he had seen in his entire tenure.

What the NAC witnessed was not the result of any single class or teacher, but a testament to the daily investment made in our classrooms over time. Our seniors represented Ben Lippen exceptionally well.