Despite the currently divided U.S. federal government in Washington D.C., the aspiring congressional leaders of the Model Congress of Wilton High School  recently took New Haven by storm the weekend of Dec. 4-7.  Twelve WHS students and their faculty advisor, Kenneth Dunaj, attended the annual Yale University Model Congress (YMC), held on campus and at the Omni Hotel.

YMC is an annual conference that provides high school students the opportunity to simulate the United States Federal Government and legislative process.  The conference hosted more than twenty of the top public and private high schools in the Northeast and in the nation. The students at YMC proved more productive than than the 113th Congress in Washington D.C.; the high school students passed 230 bills in total.

Wilton Model Congress students prepared for over two months, meeting weekly in order to introduce their original legislation to their peers at YMC. Students debated and compromised during the four-day simulation by meeting from the crack of dawn to the wee hours of the night in committee sessions and full chamber (House of Representatives and Senate) debates. Throughout the weekend, students applied their academic knowledge and communication skills in order to solve America’s problems. Several of the issues debated this weekend ranged from a comprehensive immigration reform policy to police brutality.

Several of the WHS Model Congress students were awarded for their outstanding legislative and debate skills this weekend. The WHS Model Congress students were recognized by the conference leadership as the Best Small Delegation at YMC. This is the second time that the Wilton students have been awarded this honor.  The following students were recognized for their individual achievements:

Jack Alibrandi – Best Delegate in Armed Services Committee
Alika Zangieva – Honorable Mention inArmed Services Committee
PJ Seelert – Best Legislation in Foreign Affairs Committee
Jessica Kobsa – Best Legislation in Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee
Jeremy Brewer – Best Justice in the Supreme Court