This year, 38 students travelled to Boston to compete at the 40th Harvard Model Congress Competition. The competition ran from February 18 to 22. Students role-played a member of Congress who was arbitrarily assigned to them. They then debated on policies, wrote bills within their assigned committees, and interacted with other high schoolers from all around the world.
Earlier this year, students chose from a wide range of Senate and House committees, which they represented at the February competition. In addition, there were many Special Programs students could choose from, such as “SCOTUS” and “The West Wing.”
Mr. Gratwick, AP Human Geography teacher and the faculty sponsor for Model Congress, said he is very proud of the hard work that the students put into the trip.
Gratwick stated, “All Pine Crest attendees showed dedication to Harvard Model Congress by putting in hours of hard work crafting their bills, negotiating with fellow delegates, and learning about the legislative process by experiencing it.”
After days of research, discussion, and impromptu presentations, Eliana Nitsberg ‘28 and Katelyn Rosado ‘26 were both awarded the distinction of “Best Delegate” for their respective committees. Eliana was in the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee, and Katelyn was in the House Natural Resources Committee.
As a senior off to Vanderbilt in just a few months, Rosado said, “Hearing my name being called out for the final time at the Harvard Model Congress Award Ceremony was incredibly rewarding, and made me reflect on the four years of researching, strategizing, and speech writing.”
The competition allowed students to immerse themselves in a hands-on simulation of how the U.S. Congress runs, while being able to make lasting memories along the way.
