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12/22/2021 07:30 AMWhen you’ve been teaching for 40 years, it can be hard to define a single element that has had the most impact, but to numerous students at East Shoreline Catholic Academy (ESCA), and those of the former Our Lady of Mercy School (OLM), Nancy Addorisio’s strength is easy to appreciate.
Nancy has taught for more than four decades; 16 of those years were at OLM (Madison) and four at ESCA (Branford), during which she has served as a drama/musical teacher and mock trial coach for middle school students. ESCA is the inter-parish school of Guilford’s St. George Catholic Church as well as St. Margaret, Madison, and St. John Bosco, Branford.
“I have always wanted to teach. I love children and love the excitement of learning. That is what I wanted to do for as long as I can remember,” says Nancy.
Her work with students on the Mock Trial program has not only delivered 11 state championships, but has grown into an incredible source of confidence for both Nancy and her students, many of whom cite this extra-curricular course as a defining moment of their education.
Nancy says she tries to foster responsibility in her students as well as collaboration, whether she is teaching a class, rehearsing for a play or preparing for mock trial. Nancy offers an environment in which students are encouraged to speak independently, and in particular with mock trial.
Several students have gone on to careers in law after their experience, including a Yale graduate who now works with a Supreme Court judge. Others cite the career and life skills development that the program has imbued.
“It really is like a family,” says Nancy. “We can sometimes go until seven [or] eight o’clock at night and the students are right there. They want to keep going. I think that the law is exciting to begin with and it’s a privilege to get on the team, because it’s fun,” she says.
“They gain a tremendous amount. They have to be able to think on their feet. You have to listen and you have to respond. They also gain confidence and to critically think, and to collaborate,” she adds. “These are all skills needed for any job. It is so rewarding to work with them and see it all come together at the end.”
The program started rather innocuously, Nancy says. However, it soon became a revered part of the students’ experience and a run of championship teams.
“My first year at OLM, I was teaching social studies and history and it was the science teacher there who told me about and she passed it on to me,” says Nancy. “We kind of fooled around with the program the first two years, but then we thought, ‘Are we in this to compete or not?’ The next year, we came out of nowhere and won the state championship that year,” Nancy says.
Which isn’t easy. The competition is cutthroat, participants argue cases until they lose in a single elimination format.
“Over the years we have learned a lot,” Nancy says. “We have been so fortunate to be able to work with such great attorneys. Judge Peter McShane and attorney Barry Beletsky from Branford are very serious in the courtroom. They get to practice in a real courtroom and it is very exciting,” says Nancy. “When we first start, the kids can’t even form a question, but by the end they are real attorneys. I can’t stress that enough.”
Nancy first began engaging students in the Mock Trial program in 2002 at OLM where she produced 11 championship teams. Nancy brought the mock trial program to ESCA in 2018 when the school became a STREAM (science, technology, religion, engineering, art, and math) model and successor school of OLM and St. Mary (Branford) schools.
According to Nancy, the trials are about as real as can be imagined, with an actual Connecticut judge and lawyers who mentor and judge the students. In fact, Nancy says that the legal professionals who assist with the program often remark how impressive her students are when participating.
“We have heard from the judges and real attorneys who participate, even from the other schools—’You guys are just as good, if not better than the attorneys I see every day.’ So they really play the part. As attorneys, as witnesses, the students really take on the part. It is really amazing experience for the kids,” Nancy says.
Students from the Class of 2021 had a lot to say about their personal experiences.
“I was very shy before I started mock trial, I wouldn’t speak up in class, but she really hel‑ped me make my place at this school,” 8th grade witness Kayla Mullane said of her teacher and coach. “I’m really thankful that she gave me that.”
“We really do have to collaborate on everything,” said Grace Grammatico, named best attorney along with teammate Patrick Manning. “And it’s not only helped me in the past two years in schoolwork in general and in life, but it’s going to help me in the future [to] advocate for myself in high school classrooms that are going to get bigger and then in college.”
Many of the students involved had experiences so positive, they plan to continue their law journey as they move into high school, and for some, college. Some past students from OLM have pursued their law degree, inspired by this program.
“A lot of the kids will come back and tell me that they have learned everything they need for life in mock trial, because you have to be able to think on your feet; you have to be able to critically assess a situation; you have to be able to write, and to collaborate. So, these skills are making a difference,” says Nancy. “The students can’t wait to start again every year. I have several students who went on to study law and they tell me their love of the law and their desire to become an attorney was from the Mock Trial experience.”
Nancy says the growth she sees in her students every year inspires her both personally and professionally.
“It is so much fun, because there is something really special about middle school students. They are capable of so much more than we give them credit for,” says Nancy. “I love working with them and see them reach their full potential in some of these skills and see the transformation. It is so rewarding to have this opportunity. To see them as a team and work together—there is nothing like it.”