Kelly Savio, an alumna of UC Santa Barbara’s Gevirtz School, led the Dos Pueblos High School (DPHS) Mock Trial team that recently captured the Empire World Championship, considered the most prestigious high school mock trial invitational tournament. The event was held in Brooklyn, New York. Savio, the teacher coach for the victorious team, earned her single subject teaching credential and M.Ed. from the Gevirtz School’s Teacher Education Program in 2012.
The Dos Pueblos team from Santa Barbara defeated Wyoming Seminary Prep from Pennsylvania in the finals. The DPHS team had worked since mid-July on the case, a civil rights action. In addition to the guidance from English teacher Savio, the students worked with attorney coaches Deedrea Edgar, Joel Block, and Maureen Grattan and received assistance from the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department, Santa Barbara Police Chief Cam Sanchez, and other Santa Barbara judges and court personnel.