From February 22 to 25, 2024, members of the BHS Harvard Model Congress (HMC) delegation attended the 39th annual HMC. Mr. Kaplan attended the event for the ninth time and spearheaded the trip for the second time, accompanied by chaperones Dr. Hogge, Ms. Pietroluongo, and Nurse Urena.
The Harvard Model Congress is a yearly gathering of schools from across the country that send delegations comprised of 10 to 30 students interested in politics and government. They participate in a four-day conference where students collaborate and debate on current issues such as global warming, national security, foreign affairs, and much more, drafting and passing legislation on all. The program contains over 35 committees, including those from the Senate and House of Representatives; there are also special committees such as the Supreme Court, and the Presidential Cabinet.
The 2024s Model Congress was the largest to date, boasting over 1,600 students from countries worldwide. Many international students attend the conference each year, spanning countries such as Brazil, Honduras, Puerto Rico, South Korea, Vietnam, and more. Each year, the Harvard Model Congress provides scholarships to students otherwise unable to afford the rather expensive trip (generally costing anywhere from $500 to $3,000), and this year, provided over 100 attending delegates full financial support.
Since its founding in 1986, Bernards High School has attended the conference every year. One of the unique aspects of HMC is that each delegate is assigned a specific Senator or Representative whom they must model for the weekend; this means that regardless of each student’s political views, they must embody the stances and opinions of their assigned politician throughout the conference.
“I feel that having the students embody a politician and their views/beliefs makes the experience as a whole more valuable as it allows them to expand their horizons,” said Mr. Kaplan.
Outside of the conference students have ample time and opportunity to explore Boston, making the trip a vacation as well as a learning experience. The second day, known as “Harvard Day,” allows students the chance to tour the Harvard campus or walk down Boston’s famous Newbury Street. “Discovering all of the various foods that Boston has to offer was definitely my favorite part of the trip,” shared Lila Beckerman ‘25.
The four-day conference ends with the closing and award ceremony, where one delegate from each committee is awarded a “best delegate” award. Last year’s delegation from BHS brought home two best delegate awards, and BHS is proud to boast that this year’s students brought home four “best delegates” awarded to Arden Addeo ‘25 in the House Committee on Education and Labor, Kilian Schlager ‘25 in the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, Pradnesh Thopay ‘25 in the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, and John Tober ‘24 in the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
The HMC delegation is open each year to 32 BHS sophomores, juniors, and seniors, with applications being released in September. All are encouraged to apply and the HMC delegation hopes to see you on the trip next year!