Cavaliers Experience Harvard Model Congress
Feb 23, 2015
All of Gables’ 36 delegates stand together before they leave Boston to come home.
Seniors Claire Shillington and Camila Lupi pose for a picture in the snow.
Sophomore delegates voting to pass a bill while in conference.
Seniors Claire Shillington and Camila Lupi smile with junior Sophie Feinberg before enjoying the snow.
Juniors Jordan Payne and Gabi Saliamonas snap a selfie with sophomore Holden Payne as they walk the streets of Boston.
Senior Jessie Wang and junior Sabrina Ochoa “catching snow flakes” in Boston Common.
Sophomore Cavaliers pose for a quick photo before ice skating.
A group of Cavaliers build a snowman, fully dressing it for the cold. It’s Gables’ version of Olaf!
Early on Feb. 18, 36 Cavaliers joined their three chaperones, Mrs. Landsea, Mrs. Suarez and Mr. Nelson, at Miami International Airport, ready to board a plane that would lead them to Boston’s chilly weather and an unforgettable experience at Harvard Model Congress (HMC). Ultimately, junior Jordan Payne, sophomore Olivia Field and sophomore Sofia Quevedo spread the Gables name, claiming their awards of honorable mention.
“[Winning an award] was very surprising because I definitely did not expect to win one! I was happy because I really respected my chair who nominated me for the award. Knowing that he recognized my effort was for sure the best part of winning it,”sophomore Sofia Quevedo said.
Upon arriving, the group was able to go ice skating at the Frog Pond near the Boston Commons. Those who didn’t ice skate spent their time building snowmen, making snow angels and having hour long snowball fights. As the trip went on, students were able to walk in the snowy weather and experience Boston’s city life. While on the trip, students were also able to attend a college class at Harvard and get a feel for the campus.
My favorite part of the trip was being able to walk everywhere…I got to explore a variety of cute cafes and book shops with some of my closest friends.
— senior Camila Lupi
As the conference itself commenced, Cavaliers were able to carry out their own bills. Each Cavalier was able to become part of a specific committee and discuss issues facing our country present-day. Complete with waterboarding, impeachments, assassinations and arrest scandals, Harvard Model Congress created real world scenarios that allowed for the delegates to understand the legislative branch in a hands-on method.
“HMC was awesome, getting to meet new people from all over the country and the world. My favorite part about Boston were the small parks of green that were really covered with snow. Playing in it was surreal and completely unlike anything I’d done before. It was more fun than I had imagined,” junior Kevin Torgas said.
The trip, although rather different from what the native Floridians were used to experiencing, ended in success across the board as students were able to gather knowledge about the way politics work and creating lifelong memories.
