Helena High mock trial wins seventh straight state title, heads to nationals

Helena High School added another state title to a run that has become hard to match, winning its seventh straight Montana mock trial championship and doing it in rare fashion: both Helena High squads met each other in the final round.

The school’s top two teams turned the championship into an all-Helena showdown instead of a matchup with an outside rival. Senior Gabbi Lavoie, the club president, called the moment emotional after the group’s hard work. Glacia Lucchetti called the final a fun surprise because the competitors already knew each other’s case, a wrinkle that made the last round feel more like an internal test of preparation than a typical title match.

The Montana Supreme Court formally recognized the finalists on Tuesday, April 14, 2026, at the state Capitol in Helena, giving the streak a public nod from the state’s highest court. Chief Justice Cory Swanson praised mock trial as training that helps students think, analyze and respond to arguments in ways that matter well beyond high school. That message fit a team that has now become one of Helena Public Schools’ most visible academic success stories.

The next stop is Des Moines, Iowa, where Helena High will compete at the 2026 National High School Mock Trial Championship from May 7 to 9. The national event brings together top students from every state and several foreign nations, and its history gives the trip added significance. The first national championship was held in Des Moines in 1984, making this year’s return a homecoming for the competition.

For Helena, the streak points to more than trophies in a case. It reflects a program built around civics, public speaking, teamwork and courtroom-style pressure, skills that can carry into college, careers and public life. In a school town that measures success in many ways, Helena High’s mock trial program has kept producing students who can perform under scrutiny, and the state’s highest court made sure that achievement was seen in the open.