Whiz Kid: Sezny Watkins

Cleveland Heights Whiz Kid of the Week: Sezny Watkins

• Eighth-grader at
• Won “Outstanding Attorney” award at a Mock Trial competition in April
• Participates in Science Olympiad

For Sezny Watkins, it’s all about preparation.

When sentences are highlighted and all her materials are in order, she knows there’s nothing that can stand in her way when she’s the prosecuting attorney in a mock trial tournament. So you can imagine her shock and surprise that she took home the Outstanding Attorney award at a competition in April, admittedly not her best performance.

“I sort of felt like I was unorganized and not really prepared,” the 13-year-old said. “When I got there I thought I was prepared, like I had everything highlighted, but once I was actually up there I got stage fright. I was sort of surprised that I won.”

During a mock trial, students compete against other schools on teams, either on prosecution or the defense. Cases come from novels, which means participants have to not only know what the story is about, but also prepare for what the attorney from the other team is going to ask so they can counter it.

“It’s all based off a story, so you go through it and find information you would use and also find information the other team might use and how you could rebuttal that,” she explained.

She and another attorney on her team would tag team witnesses on the stand, with her friend direct examining and Sezny cross examining.

“I’m really good at cross examination, because, I don’t know, maybe I’m good at arguing,” she said, giggling. “My partner did the direct examining because I guess she’s nicer.”

The preparation comes into play when Sezny has already thought of a question the attorney on the opposing team has asked, allowing her to swoop in and make the opponent’s argument turn to mud. She said the mock trial has sparked an interest in law, something she said she might want to study in college.

“I guess it’s the idea that it could help people,” she said.

Sezny is also a pro at Science Olympiad, another event that benefits from her desire to be prepared and organized. Students in Science Olympiad tournaments must choose several activities to become proficient at, whether they be tests about science-related subjects or building something, like a bridge. She said while students are only required to be familiar with three activities, she often becomes an expert in six or more.

Her favorites are Battery Buggy, where she has to build a small battery-powered car that must move a certain distance, stop and drive around an object; Can’t Judge Powder, where students receive a chemical powder and other materials and must combine them and discuss what happened; and Awesome Aquifer, where students must build an aquifer, and take two tests related to the subject of aquifers.

Know an awesome student that you'd like to see featured on our Wednesday Whiz Kid article? Send an email to Cleveland Heights Patch editor Michelle Simakis.