Just before the students left for break, SHS’s Model Congress club hosted its annual conference for students from the Stroudsburg  Junior High School. The conference proved to be an all-around amazing experience for everyone involved!

For two days, over 100 students from grades 8 and 9 rode from the SJHS to SHS in order to participate. They spent the first day discussing their committee’s issues, and how they would go about drafting a bill to solve the issue — through a process that is quite similar to that of the actual United States Congress.

On the second day, the committees finished drafting their bills and presented them to the group. Based on the majority of votes, the bills then either passed or failed, much like they would in real Congress.

The committees were as follows:

House Education and Labor

House Armed Forces

Senate Foreign Relations

House January 6th Investigation

Senate Homeland Security

Alternate History

Members from the Model Congress club spent months preparing for the event, organizing committees, and coming up with effective ways to present what Model Congress is all about. Senior Gavin Hall, Model Congress president, feels extremely fortunate to be able to lead the club. 

“The best part of being president,” said Hall, “is being able to bridge and settle these disagreements in a very polarized political climate.”

Eighth-grader Tiara Nelson shared her thoughts on the event. “My experience at the event was amazing because I was able to talk with my peers and the leaders of my committee to create a bill that we all agreed to.”

SHS Model Congress meets right after school on the 1st and 3rd Wednesdays of each month in the SHS auditorium. Mr. Matthew Haggerty is the advisor.

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