21 La Salle students will be leaving for Boston, Massachusetts on Tuesday, February 21 to participate in the Harvard Model Congress, the nation’s oldest government simulation conference. This is an annual trip open to juniors and seniors at La Salle, who will get the opportunity to experience and understand American government in a hands-on way.

Students participating in the simulation are able to get a better understanding of American government by engaging in role-play, open debates, caucuses, trials, press conferences and testimonies. According the to Harvard Model Congress website, it is “the premier government simulation for high school students.”

Mr. Lanaghan is the leader of the trip, and will be attending with La Salle students for his seventh year this year, along with another chaperone, Mr. Shedlock.

Mr. Lanaghan says he is most excited about “the fact that we just had the election and there is so much happening right now, the students are going to have the opportunity to participate in the simulation, where it is exactly like what they are seeing on the news everyday. It’s a perfect time for them to meet students from around the world who have different viewpoints and experiences and backgrounds.”

Simone Stoney is also a senior who will be attending HMC for the second time. Speaking about her experience last year, Stoney said, “I loved the group of people I went with and I loved the political environment.”

Senior Tessa Bradeen is one of the students attending Harvard Model Congress this year and says she is looking forward “to getting to discuss a variety of issues and to get to learn more about how our government works.”

Along with participating in this simulation, students will get to explore Boston, and visit many historic sites such as Paul Revere’s house, the JFK Library, the Freedom Trail and much more.

The students participating this year are William Adriance, Corwyn Bradeen, Tessa Bradeen, Jane Bronec, Jesse Cooper, Hannah Derwey, Joseph Dierckes, Taylor Foster, Aidan Gierer, Jasmine Gloden, Samuel Gullo, Matt Kerr, Joseph Kreitzberg, Tyler Persons, Katie Quines, Sabrina Sandberg, Grant Starr, Gabrielle Stoney, Simone Stoney, David Sullivan, and Marissa Vanecko.