The Bernards High School delegation to the Harvard Model Congress recently returned from the 40th edition of the meeting in Boston, Massachusetts. Thirty-two students, both seniors, and juniors, attended the model congress, led by teacher chaperones Dr. Hogge, Ms. Pietroluongo, and Nurse Urena. Harvard Model Congress is a worldwide program that takes place every year in five locations, Boston, San Francisco, Taiwan, Dubai, and Belgium. Students from around the nation participate in the Boston edition of the congress which takes place in the Sheridan Hotel. Bernards High School’s delegation began their experience on Thursday the 20th when they arrived at school at 7:15 in the morning and got on the bus, beginning the drive North to the congress. On the way, the group stopped for lunch at 11:00. Upon arriving at the conference in the hotel, the students made their way to the opening ceremony, in which they were welcomed to the event and entered the com- mittee meetings for the first time. Committee meetings began with icebreakers, varying from session to session. First-time attendee and Junior Westin Lukes found the icebreakers to be remarkably helpful, saying “they were a great way to get introduced and get the weekend under- way.” For many first-time attendees of the congress, the first committee meeting was filled with nervousness
and anxiety.
Junior Lorelei Traynor said, “At first I was nervous to speak but after the first few minutes I was comfortable and ready to make some bills”. Thursday’s work concluded at 9:30 and delegates went up to their rooms to prepare for a busy second day of the conference. Friday, also known as “Harvard Day” for the delegates, provided the opportunity for the Bernards High School students to tour the campus of Harvard University. At 9:00 in the morning Dr. Hogge, Nurse Ureña, and a bunch of the BHS students took the subway to Harvard for the morning. They met up with Bernards High School Graduate Adi Raj and got to see inside Harvard classrooms and all around the campus.
After returning to the conference, committee sessions began again at 1:00 and did not conclude fully until 6:30 that evening. BHS students continued to work tirelessly to create and pass legislation, finding in- credible success in doing so. Friday night the group went for their first “family dinner” at Fire and Ice, a hibachi buffet-style restaurant that has become an HMC favorite for Bernards High School.
Avery Calulo ‘26 enjoyed the family dinners, saying that he “had a great time” and that they allowed for a “tighter bond” to be made be- tween him and the other delegates from Bernards High School. Saturday was another filled day for the delegation as they got to work right away with the first Full Session meetings of the congress. Full Sessions are a combination of multiple committees coming together to vote on already passed bills to determine whether they can be sent further down the line of passing a bill into law. Following full-session and lunch the committees returned to regular meetings for their last committee session of the Congress. This was the last opportunity for delegates to pass bills. By the end of the Harvard Model Congress, the representatives from BHS were a part of writing a total of 25 bills. That night the group went out to Magiannos for one last dinner together, in which Dr. Hogge was given a toast by seniors Kilian Schlager and Ella Damratoski. Dr. Hogge will be retiring and the end of this year marking an end to his multiple-decade streak of attending Harvard Model Congress with the delegation from Bernards High School. Dr. Hogge viewed his final congress as a success, noticing “people stepping out of their comfort zones and experiencing personal growth” as well as citing the “large amount of bills being passed” as proof of the delegation’s success.
Upon arriving back to the hotel the students were given a plethora of options, the delegate social taking place in the ballroom was a very popular choice, as was the annual game night in Dr. Hogge’s room. Delegates played a variety of games including Backgammon, Yahtzee, and many other card games. The last day of the congress began with a 9:00 full session in the same groups as the morning before. The full sessions concluded at 11:00, leading right into the reflection period for the committees, giving one last chance for the delegates to say goodbye and express their thoughts
on the congress as a whole. The event came to a close during the closing ceremony at 12:30, in which awards were presented and the delegates all gathered to say farewell to the 2025 edition of Har- vard Model Congress. Bernards High School brought home a litany of awards headlined by seniors Arden Addeo and Kilian Schlager, who both won a gavel for excellence in their respective committees. Seniors Gabe Scotton and Joe Morandi, and juniors Andrew Tropp and Jack Ecklund also brought home honorable mentions for excellence in their committees.
Overall the 40th edition of Har-vard Model Congress was a grand success for the delegates from Bernards High School, passing a remarkable amount of bills and bringing home multiple awards to Bernardsville.
