By Azra Baig, Special Writer
The Noor-Ul-Iman High School Mock Trial Team won it’s fourth Middlesex County Mock Trial Competition, it’s second Middlesex Regional Competition and placed third in the New Jersey State competition for the second time in it’s 11-year history.
For 11 years now, the team has been participating in the New Jersey State Bar Foundation’s Annual Mock Trial Competition.
Every fall an original case, alternating between civil and criminal, is written by members of the NJ State Bar Association.
High school students across the state form teams of attorneys and witnesses to compete, first within their own counties, next moving on to their regions, and finally in a statewide competition which consists of the three winning teams from North, Central, and South Jersey.
This year, 234 schools registered at the beginning of the season.
In all, more than 3,000 students participated in this year’s competition, according to organizers.
Noor-Ul-Iman’s Mock Trial Team has had a successful run since it’s very first County Championship in 2006.
They followed up that win with four more county titles, two regional titles, and placed third in the state competition last year and this year.
The team was led by Captain Hasna Esseghir, a veteran who has been on the team since her freshman year.
She was joined on the team by fellow seniors,Aaminah B’hat and Maryam Rostoum. Noor Baig, Ayesha Durrani, Salma Elkholy, Kinza Haq, Ayesha Qureshi, Iman Soliman and Zahra Zunaid.
The back up team members included Amna Khan, Ayesha Mubin, Hibah Rafi and Meryem Turan.
The team’s success comes after five months of practices and rehearsals, with meetings three times a week.
The team was coached by Norman Epting, esq., Dr. Fakhruddin Ahmed, Aysha Azmat, Sufia Azmat, and Suzy Ismail.
The team was recognized by the Middlesex County Bar Association/Foundation on May 22 where the students received individual plaques and a monetary gift.
The school was also given a plaque by the Middlesex County and a large plaque by the State of New Jersey.
South Brunswick Mayor Frank Gambatese read a proclamation, which will now be in the public record, at the South Brunswick Township Council meeting on May 27 recognizing and honoring the team.

