Williamsport’s Model UN club recently attended a mock Constitutional Convention – better known as ConCon – at the Pennsylvania College of Technology.
This convention put students’ knowledge and creativity to the test, as they mimic officials of a US state of their choice (including Washington D.C. and Puerto Rico) and act according to their state’s beliefs. The 46 Williamsport delegates went head-to-head with approximately 200 other high school students, not only competing for awards, but also building connections by interacting with like-minded peers.
With a morning session split into committees, a lunch provided by Penn College, and a plenary session in the afternoon, students were judged on their participation, debate procedure knowledge, accurate representation of their state, and communication skills.
The day’s events are carefully monitored by volunteer supervisors. Delegates started their morning debating student-written resolutions, eventually voting on which would pass into the plenary session, where a final debate and vote would be taken.
One group of Williamsport students were recognized for doing particularly well in the portrayal of their state’s ideology. The team of Texas won the trophy for Most Accurate Representation. Group members, including Megan Radspinner, Gabreon Godin, Ian Sykes and Riley Smith, exceeded the expectations of what it meant to accurately represent their state.
Other students recognized for their performance were Cali Reed who had her resolution on removing the Electoral College pass in both the committee and plenary sessions and Ella Adkins who won the plaque for Best Parliamentarian for being most knowledgable about the rules and procedure. A total of 26 students received superior Delegate Certificates and 2 states won Superior Delegation Certificates.
