Molly Holmstead, Reporter
@Molly1Courant
On November 23, Model Congress traveled to Wilton for their first competition of the school year. Model Congress is a club at NCHS about group work and high participation to make it far. They overall exceeded the expectation of their captains.
I asked Brandon Ma, one out of the three senior captains, who was enthusiastic about the club’s performance. Brandon said, “increasing club participation was the biggest win for us. “For most of our delegates it was their first Model Congress experience, so we were really happy they had the opportunity to compete firsthand and learn what it takes to write and present legislation in front of real delegates – experience that will serve them well in the future.”
Not only did they execute well as a group, three individual awards were handed out. Brandon Ma was awarded Best Legislation. “All the work for a Best Legislation Bill is done prior to the conference,” said Brandon. “So from the first day you choose your committee, you’re already doing extensive research on your topic and brainstorming specific solutions, which manifests into awards come conference day.”
The club has many responsibilities. “Some main responsibilities include reviewing bills for correct formatting, guiding delegates through research and teaching parliamentary procedure,” said Brandon. “The rules for Model Congress simulations, which is especially important since we have many new members this year.”
Model Congress’s overall role is to organize conferences and prepare their delegates for real life experiences. The next step is moving forward and preparing for their upcoming competition, held at University of Pennsylvania in March.
Senior Model Congress captain Isabella Madrid, also has aspiring goals. “The major goal for the club is to expand participation to people who are genuinely interested in it,” said Isabella.
The increase in participation and interest is the first step for Model Congress to move forward in other areas, like the amount of college conferences, which is a great way to increase this club’s interest and abilities.
“Being part of Model Congress has allowed me to apply my historical knowledge to contemporary issues,” said Brandon. “I can work collaboratively with other students to simulate the same kind of problem-solving that Congress does – and that’s the best aspect for me.”
