Another Historic Year for Branford Model Congress
After earning 24 awards at three Ivy League events, Branford High School Model Congress (BHSMC) wraps up another historic year.
Now in its third decade, BHSMC was founded by BHS AP History teacher Jim Petela. Now, BHS Social Studies teacher David Greundel also assists Petela with advising the club. BHSMC is led by student presidents, vice presidents, governors, junior governors, mayors and officers. This year, the club had 115 members in grades 9– 12 this year.
"This was another successful year, with many strong leaders," said Petela. "They compete with some of the best kids in the country, so for the seniors, the wins validate that their four years have paid off. And we not only had a strong group of seniors leading this year – we have a strong and numerous junior class, and so many students coming up among our sophomore and freshmen. And they become great leaders, too."
BHSMC had five presidents in 2018-19: Andrew DeBenedictis, Aidan Kropiwinicki, GianCarlo Giannini, Edison Goff and Robert Olejarcyk; supported by the assistance of two vice presidents, Benjamin Mehmedovic, who will be attending Yale University in the fall; and Elena Gruendel (daughter of Davide Greundel) who joined the club as a senior but made impressive gains as both a leader and participant.
"My daughter chose, as senior, to become a part of it and jumped in with both feet," said Greundel. "I'm happy that she found something in herself that she didn't know about."
Greundel said it's always gratifying to see students come into their own, developing confidence to support and validate the volumes of research, time and effort that goes into preparing for each Model Congress contest. Like many of their peers around the country, members of BHSMC are part of a young generation that's committed to its beliefs.
"This year, the kids seemed very invested in the issues and legislation they spoke about. There's genuine belief and value in the bills that they wrote and argued for, "said Greundel.
At Penn Model Congress (Philadelphia, PA, March 27 -31, 2019), BHSMC's DeBenedictis brought home an Honorable Mention award for his part in a committee debate. The debate, which passed committee, was on a bill concerning the continuing decline of groundwater in the High Plains Aquifer. Also known as the Ogallala aquifer, the critical groundwater source underlies parts of eight states.
"We were debating a bill about the High Plains Aquifer and water conservation on the Great Plains. It's a big issue, but there hasn't been a lot of discussion surrounding how important water conservation is going to be for farming, based on droughts and proliferation of climate change," said DeBenedictis. "So it's a topic I felt kind of strongly about. It was also nice to win an award at my last conference, because it's kind of sad to be leaving this behind."
Kropiwinicki said he'd encourage any student who has a passion for getting involved to check out joining BHSMC; and, if interested, dive in with passion. BHSMC work/study meetings are held in the evenings, after most other extracurricular programs conclude. Many BHSMC members also participate in sports, arts and other extracurriculars at BHS.
"You have to be passionate when you're doing Model Congress," said Kropiwinicki. "That's the only thing that really unifies us. We're all so passionate about politics, and we come from all socio-economic stances. My advice is take what you love and run with it. Don't do anything half way. You've got to research everything, debate it passionately, and listen to other what other people have to say."
Olejarcyzk said BHSMC equips members with many skills.
"I've learned to talk to crowds, both large and small, in a very formal manner," he said. "I have learned more about how our government runs and how a bill becomes a law, and most importantly, I have learned to take a stance on an issue, communicate that position, and be true to myself, all while keeping an open-mind and listening to what others have to say."
Petela noted BHSMC takes students to events to work with, and often become friends with, peers from across the country.
"Many of our alumni, when they go off colleges, will also have friendships with other (Model Congress) students they've met from other schools through the years," said Petela.
DeBenedictis said the people he's met and worked with over the past four years were a valuable part of his BHSMC experience.
At Penn this year, "...I won an honorable mention, which is nice; [but] I'm very happy with the people who won the other awards, because you always end up making friends at the conferences, and it's always nice to see who ends up winning from your committee. But it was nice to win an award at my last conference ever, because it's kind of sad to be leaving this behind."
Kropiwinicki and Giannini said they've both gained unmatched experience due to the high level of preparation, research and dedication involved with preparing to represent BHSMC at a contest. Both said they liked serving on special committees, such as served on the G20 at Harvard Model Congress this year (Feb. 20 - 24, 2019)>
"The normal procession of model congress is debating bills and actually mimicking congress, but me and Gian did a lot of special committees at Harvard [and a few] at Yale," which held its Model Congress Nov. 29 - Dec. 2, 2018, said Kropiwinicki. "So instead of being a congress man or woman representing the House or the Senate you can be on a cabinet, you can serve on a historical committee, which jumps back in time... so you can do fun little scenarios like that."
Giannini said the pressure-cooker atmosphere of competition at Model Congress contests also brings an incredible sense of accomplishment, regardless of the outcome.
"There's something called district court, where you bring three attorneys and three witnesses -- it's like a mock trial," said Giannini. "I did that my junior at Harvard [Model Congress]. I did a ton of work. That's what I did all weekend -- we were writing speeches and preparing. It's probably the most intense Model Congress special committee. It was a good experience."
BHSMC students pay their way, or rely on fundraisers or donors, to participate in Model Congress travel trips, which can span a weekend or several days. As a public school competing with mostly private schools, one of the fundamental and most admirable elements for BHSMC is "accessibility" for all students interested in participating, said DeBenedictis.
"It's very good that public schools have the opportunity to go," said DeBenedictis. "Because the debate won't be as dynamic if you don't have different perspectives. We're a very diverse and very open organization; and one thing that's very important to [BHSMC] is accessibility. We're lucky to have a lot of donors, and we put on fundraisers, because the one thing we want to do is make this accessible. Everyone is entitled to a political opinion, and they should have a forum to share it."
DeBenedictis added BHSMC is always grateful for the efforts of Petela to not only support the students members, but to generate community support and donations to help all students who want to participate in the program.
"The amount of stuff that he has done, not only for us, but also for everyone that's come before us; it's staggering," said DeBenedictis. "What he does for the community, and the way that he is able to come up with funding for people to come on trips; is really remarkable. We all owe him a huge debt of gratitude."
Among the advice they have for next year's leaders, who will be selected and named in the fall, Goff said listening to the other side of an opinion is key.
"One of the former [BHSMC] presidents was my good friend," said Goff, "...and one thing he told me was to listen to what other people have to say. Because in today's climate, it's very diverse; everyone has their own opinions on things; and I think we've lost the ability to listen to what others have to say, and where they're coming from. Having the ability to learn, listen, and gather knowledge from people who may not be on the same side of an argument as you are is a really important skill, that I think has been taught to me by my peers in Model Congress."