MConference 09-10 Info/Links

 

		BHS MC Docs Essentials!
		PMoot 2009 October 15-17
		Princeton MC November 18-22
		Yale December 3-6
		Harvard Boston February 24-28
		Penn February 25-28
		Columbia April 3
		PMoot 2010 April 8-10

Lonergan Leads Princeton Model Congressors With Double Awards, Liu Leads At Yale, Fall Season Finished, Very Strong Showing By BHS MCers, Best Ever

Senior BHS MC Prez Keah Lonergan garnered a gavel at Princeton MC in DC for her passionate and persuasive performance in her Foreign Affairs committee and an honorable mention for her fantastic full session work, and Patty Liu garnered a gavel for her amazing, articulate arguments in Yale's prestigious Presidential Cabinet. An army of 135 BHS MCers participated in the Princeton and Yale Model Congress conferences the weekends before and after Thanksgiving, earning over a dozen awards and once again impressing the Princetonian & Yalie conference presidents and chairs, and more importantly BHS MC Founding Father Petela, who proudly accepted at Princeton MC The Best Public School Award and Runner-up Best Delegation Award, out of almost 50 schools, the first time BHS MC has received this impressive recognition

At Princeton MC, Sr BHS MC Prezs Lonergan, Coulter, Hobbs, Esposito, and Broughal led a super senior stacked bhsmc delegation of 35 students in DC the weekend before Thanksgiving. Twenty one seniors, thirteen juniors and one soph marched on Washington and made their mark and voice heard in committe and full sessions. When the dust settled, eleven awards were won by 10 bhsmcers -- The coveted Gavels were won by seniors Keah Lonergan, Gio Esposito, Madeline Coulter, and Rachel Cassella. Honorable Mentions were won by seniors Kylie Broughal, Sergei Poljak, Sarah Neely, Pat Luchini, Nicole Hobbs, and junior Kevin Peterson

At Yale MC, Patricia Liu, the solo senior, led 81 bhsmcers -- eighteen juniors, thirty three sophs, nine frosh (and 26 shadows, mostly frosh on friday) the weekend after Thanksgiving. For many bhsmcers it was their first full conference and they took full advantage of all YMC and Yale, the greatest university in the universe, had to offer -- from tours to libraries, college courtyards w/ yalies welcoming them from their windows, classic ivy classrooms, food and friends and so much more. Joining Liu in the awards were fellow Presidential Cabinet member junior Joe Flynn and Armed Services committee member junior first timer Kelsey Mullane, both earning Honorable Mention Awards for their engaging and excellent performances.

A special shout out thanks to MC Prez Nicole Hobbs, who helped chaperone the entire trip from start to finish. Also helping out, when they were free from the Fall Play Dea, were fellow Sr Prezs Caitlin ONeill, Kylie Broughal, Keah Lonergan, Madeline Coulter and VP Rachel Rimm.

Winning an award is no easy task. Three awards are given per committee, one gavel and two honorable mentions, usually at the chair's discretion though sometimes delegate feedback/voting is taken into consideration, like at Princeton, though not at Yale. Chairs ideally consider the quality and quantity of speeches made, points questions asked, respect and attention shown, and bill that was written. At Princeton, committee sizes averaged 22 students and at Yale 15.

Congratulations once again to the above award winners and also to the many other almost award winning PMC & YMCers who performed with excellence and enthusiasm and made BHS MC, BHS, and PETELA proud, once again.

PS-- About 5000 photos from PMC, YMC and the Fall Prep Sessions will soon be uploaded, hold tight and be patient, I need to put in some serious focus and grind game face time organizing and editing them before i upload them to the website, hopefully this weekend

We did it again. She did it again. BHS MC dominated the Princeton Moot Tourney for the second time in a row (see spring below). This time though, the finals saw two BHS MC teams (Caitllin ONeill & Delaram Takyar vs Keah Lonergan & Giovanni Esposito), and three teams (Billy Irwin & Carl Dasigan) make the final 16 round. Forty five teams competed at the tourney, with BHS MC bringing eight strong contenders. But it was MC Prez Caitlin ONeill, who was part of the winning team w/ Nicole Hobbs in the spring, who repeated victory this time with junior vp Delaram Takyar. ONeill also won a gavel for top attorney, along with fellow senior Prez Keah Lonergan and junior Chris Giri. The other BHS MC teams who competed with great enthusiasm and excellence were seniors Monica Ague & Patricia Liu, Olivia Mahler-Haug and Griff Radulski, Julianna Venegas and jr Alex Acunzo, and juniors Billy Irwin & Carl Dasigan, Kseniya Shavrova & Catherine Pierre-Louis, Chris Giri & Hannah Young. Even though the weather was a bit rainy and the temperature cruelly cool, and many fought a ferocious flu and even post-op in the ER all night with yours truly, BHS MC managed to keep the heat on and stay healthy enough for another very impressive and inspiring victory -- not a bad way to start a new MCongress season...

Speaking of MCongress season, meetings continue next Wed & Thursday night after election no school Tuesday 7:15--8:30, focus will be presenting and debating bills for upcoming Princeton and Yale conferences during weekends before Thanksgiving and after. Bring 25 copies of your bill.

What a weekend at Princeton! What a way to end the BHS MC 2009 year! Over Easter weekend, 23 bhsmcers, 11 court teams of two, attended the Princeton Moot Court that took place on the Princeton campus, unlike the Princeton Model Congress in November that takes place in Washington, DC. The PMCourt hosted 47 court teams from 8 schools. This was the third time bhsmc attended this conference, last time being in 2007 and 2001, both times with half as many students, and not making the final tourney.

The BHS MCourt teams were led by senior veterans AJ Bishop & Dan Rimm, Dominique Ruddy & Shane Emery, Taryn Mockus & Rachel Cassella, Monica Ague & Delaram Takyar, Katrina Perito & Corey Wells, Kylie Broughal & Keah Lonergan, Gio Esposito & Sergei Poljak, Nicole Hobbs & Caitlin ONeill, Leigh Kamin & Juliana Venegas, Griff Radulski & Alex Roberts, Kseniya Shavrova & Cath Pierre-Louis, and Billy Irwin as an alternate. Only Bishop and Rimm had attended the 2007 conference, as promising sophomores.

Moot Court competition is a simulation of an appeals court or Supreme Court hearing, typically raising a constitutional issue, in this conference case involving the wearing of a controversial TShirt by Ms Lucy Sky, and the consequent challenges to her 1st Amendent freedom of expression and religion as well as her 14 Amendment rights involving citizenship privileges and protections. Each round has one team acting as petitioner or respondent, each given 20 minutes to make their case in front of a judge, or judges, who may interrupt and ask questions at any time. Thus, the competition tests student knowledge of the law as well as their public speaking and logical reasoning skills. Since moot courts are not concerned with the credibility of witnesses, they are an effective strategy for focusing student attention on the underlying principles and concepts of justice and teaching them to interpret precedent and make effective use of a case law.

Arriving on campus on a sunny warm Thursday afternoon, bhsmers checked into the first class historic Nassau Inn located in the heart of Princeton, then went on a 2 hour walkin, talkin tour led by Petela and his camera, that took advantage of the late afternoon sun setting, shadowy picture perfect time to take many group photos of the troops before battle began on Friday. (See Photo Gallery, pictures have been uploaded:). Dinner at Sottos, a fine Italian restaurant, followed by incredible ice cream at the famous Bent Spoon soon after, fully satisfied the hungry bhsmcers, and energized them to stay up late into the night, early morning going over their 100 page court brief. The troops were also briefed on tourney logistics by the conference directors Julie and Anthony, who joined us for dinner and then came to the hotel for a brief info session.

Waking early, many bhsmcers continued their focus, grind and game faces going over cases preparing for the four rounds that were to come that Friday afternoon and evening. Teams were scored on a 50 point system for speaking performance and content knowledge as well as for teamwork. Although the scores were not made known at days end, it was obvious bhsmc teams were competitive and compelling in their performances.

After the 5th and final round Saturday morning, the sweet 16 teams were announced for the final tournament. Seven bhsmc teams, more than any other school by far, made it -- Bishop & Rimm, Ruddy & Emery, Ague & Takyar, Perito & Wells, Broughal & Lonergan, Hobbs & ONeill, Radulski & Roberts. After tourney Round 1, four bhsmc teams advanced to the quarter finals -- Bishop & Rimm, Ague & Takyar, Hobbs & ONeill, Radulski & Roberts. The Semis saw two remaining bhsmc teams pitted vs each other like Princeton Tigers -- Seniors Bishop & Rimm vs Juniors Hobbs ONeill, with the Juniors winning by a 3-2 judges decision. (3-5 judges, Princeton students, part of their college moot court team, judged the tourney rounds).

The Finals, featuring bhsmcers Hobbs & ONeill vs a team from New Jersey (which had won the tourney in October), were held in the historic Whig hall, in front of 9 Princeton judges, and a room full of students. After 40 minutes of poised, patient and effective argument, rebuttal, and debate by the bhsmc team, a 5-4 decision was awarded to the team of Hobbs & ONeill! As might be expected, applause erupted from the bhsmc side of the hall not to mention a few fotos were snapped from yours truly, a tear or two was also experienced by a few!

A large trophy was awarded to the winning team of Hobbs & ONeill, as well as to the 3rd place team of Bishop & Rimm. Also receiving awards - gavels - for their outstanding individual attorney performances was soph Delaram Takyar, juniors Nicole Hobbs & Katrina Perito, and senior Dan Rimm. To say again, it was great ending to a great year for BHS Model Congress

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