Key West High Wins District 16 Mock Trial, Advances to State Championship

Key West High School captured first place in the District 16 mock-trial competition, earning the team a spot in the Florida High School Mock Trial state championship and the responsibility of representing the 16th Judicial Circuit. The competition was held at the Marathon Courthouse and was hosted by County Judge Derek Lewis on Jan. 26, 2026.

The match pitted Key West High School against Coral Shores High School, with Key West prevailing and advancing to the state level. The student newspaper The Snapper reported the district victory on Feb. 14 and listed state competition dates as March 31 to April 3. The Snapper also reported that the state event will be conducted virtually at Key West High School due to COVID-19, which eliminates travel as a budget concern for the program.

Coaching and leadership played a central role in the result. Local media identify the team’s coach as a Monroe County public defender with the surname Isherwood; The Snapper uses the name Libby Isherwood while Konklife identifies her as Elizabeth Isherwood and notes she is a Key West High School graduate and currently a criminal defense attorney with the Public Defenders office. Konklife quoted Isherwood saying, “It is truly an honor to coach students from my alma mater in this prestigious completion,” stated Isherwood who is currently a criminal defense attorney with the Public Defenders office. The program’s co-captains are Siddharth Singh, Catarina Dubyk-Cassidy, and Arturo Torres.

Students credited rigorous, repeated practice and the coach’s courtroom experience for their preparedness. Siddharth Singh explained, “The goal of this club at its forefront is to win, but a lot of benefits come along with it,” and listed “[These include public speaking, advocacy, quick-thinking, and] team-building skills.” Senior team member Kirsten Haughey praised the coach’s step-by-step training: “Ms. Isherwood walked us through each step of competing in Mock Trial from start to finish. We then started implementing the techniques that she taught us into our practice. We learned many styles of debating and practices used by actual lawyers,” stated Haughley. “By the time the competition arrived, we were cool, calm and collected. We knew our material and we were confident in our abilities after all of our hard work. I’m glad we made our school proud.”

The club at Key West High was introduced three years ago and this season worked from a civil case packet provided by the Florida High School Mock Trial Competition. For civil cases, each side typically fields three attorneys, three witnesses, and a timekeeper, making preparation both broad and collaborative.

Konklife reported that this is the first-ever district championship for a Key West High School Mock Trial team. That claim may be of special local significance and warrants verification with school or district records. Next for Key West High is the virtual state finals March 31 to April 3, when the team will test its courtroom skills against other circuit champions and bring local attention to Monroe County’s emerging mock-trial program.