Congratulations to Mock Trial Winners and Scholarship Recipients

By Melanie J. Wender, Esquire

Every year, the Bucks County Bar Foundation awards scholarships to deserving high school students. The Foundation has two scholarship programs, the Thomas E. Mellon, Jr. scholarship and the William Penn Scholarship. The Thomas E. Mellon, Jr. scholarship is awarded to candidates attending a four-year liberal arts school who have shown extraordinary commitment to public service and/or community service. The recipients of this year’s Thomas E. Mellon, Jr. scholarships were beyond impressive. These students had excelled in their education, engaged in their community, and appeared to have endless potential.

The William Penn scholarship is awarded to high school graduates who are interested in pursuing a career in law or a law-related field, and who have shown extraordinary commitment to public service or community service. The award recipients of this year’s William Penn scholarships met those requirements and then some.

I was lucky enough to be present at this year’s scholarship presentation. It was wonderful to see the excitement of the award recipients, as well as the pride of their parents. I loved having the opportunity to converse with these students and learn about their backgrounds and what their plans were for the future. It was also incredibly exciting to see that one of the recipients of a scholarship was the daughter of one of our own bar association members, Mindy Snyder!

In addition to the award of the scholarships, this year’s reception also included the opportunity to recognize the winners of this year’s Mock Trial Competition. The two winners were Bensalem High School and Central Bucks South. Both of these Mock Trial teams moved forward to the state competition. As a coach for the Central Bucks South team, I was enthusiastic to see those students recognized. However, as a coach, I also understand how much hard work and dedication both teams put into preparing for the competitions. In order to be successful in Mock Trial, these students have to study the rules of evidence, learn how to present direct examination and cross examination, learn their case inside and out, and practice, practice, practice! It takes so much time and dedication. The students from both of these teams show the importance of hard work and the benefits that can come from that.

What I gathered from this reception was that the future is brighter than I may have anticipated. With young people this impressive, the future seems in strong and capable hands. Congratulations to all of these students and I wish them all the best in their future endeavors. Additionally, congratulations to the parents on a job well done! Their hard work did pay off. 

The William Penn scholarship is awarded to high school graduates who are interested in pursuing a career in law or a law-related field, and who have shown extraordinary commitment to public service or community service. The award recipients of this year’s William Penn scholarships met those requirements and then some.

On May 25th, the Bucks County Bar Association’s Past Presidents gathered for their annual dinner at the ultra chic Vela restaurant on Veterans Lane in Doylestown. (If you don’t recognize the name, “it’s the one near the Fine Wines and Liquor Store”).

In accordance with tradition, the responsibility for hosting this year’s event fell to the Bar Association President who had served five years earlier. Claiming that honor was outgoing Chair of the Bar Foundation, Jessica Pritchard. As expected, she did an exceptional job as host, but kudos should also be accorded to Kelly Myers, the BCBA’s liaison for education and special events, as those who attended were feted to a cocktail hour, featuring scrumptious apps, followed by dinner and dessert.

Twenty-five former presidents attended the dinner, including three current judges; Jeffrey Finley, Jeffrey Trauger, and Brian McGuffin. Considering there have been a total