Hopkins at the Princeton Model Congress

From November 17–20, just before Thanksgiving Break, 62 Hopkins students and six faculty chaperones traveled to Washington, D.C. for the annual Princeton Model Congress (PMC) trip. Most students in attendance are taking the popular 21st Century Democracy course, and in preparation for the trip wrote bills, chose committees and applied for Cabinet and Supreme Court posts at the PMC.  Four Hopkins students were appointed as Supreme Court Justices, as well as four to the Cabinet.

The delegation traveled to Washington D.C. by train, taking over a whole car this year, and arrived at their destination: the Grand Hyatt, which headquarters the PMC.  This year’s PMC was made up of over 1200 students from over 25 schools, mostly from the Northeast. Everyone attended an opening session on Thursday evening, in which they elected a president, and then the students went off to their committees to start work on bills. The committees work late each night in sessions for about 2.5 to 3 hours.

During the day Friday, November 18, the Hopkins delegation toured the Capitol and embarked on one of the best traditions of the trip - the Mall Walk.  The group walked from the Capitol to the Lincoln Memorial, passing the Washington monument, the WWII Memorial, and after the Lincoln Memorial, visiting the Vietnam Memorial.  This walk is also special for students and chaperones alike, as alums in the DC area who attended the conference in the past are invited to join in. This year, Will Simon ’16 and Sam Greco ’11, both past student council presidents, joined the HOP group for the walk.

On Saturday, November 19, the students attended morning sessions, then had free time to explore D.C. in groups.  Many went to Georgetown to visit friends and shop, others went sightseeing or to museums.

Saturday night, the entire delegation went for dinner at the famous Old Ebbit's Grill, where they have an excellent meal at about midnight!  On Sunday, they headed back home to CT, tired, but on Thanksgiving break.  
Mr. Peters sent in a photo of the plaque outside the Willard Hotel and explains, “The Willard Hotel, a block from the White House, was the site of the Peace Convention, explained on the plaque. Hopkins' own Roger Sherman Baldwin HGS 1807 was the Secretary of the Convention and thus played a key role in what was a valiant but ultimately unsuccessful attempt to avert the war after Lincoln's election.
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Hopkins is a private middle school and high school for grades 7-12. Located on a campus overlooking New Haven, CT, the School takes pride in its intellectually curious students as well as its dedicated faculty and staff.