During winter break, AIC hosted its 77th annual Model Congress with senior Rebecca Gray as the General Chair. As this was her last year to attend and work the event, she was unexpectedly honored with the ‘School Spirit’ award being renamed the ‘Rebecca Gray School Spirit Award.’

Model Congress is a simulated congress where high school students working in teams as delegates write bills on which to debate with about a hundred other delegates, in hopes to pass them through their mock congress.

Not only is it rewarding to students in regards to learning about how the United States government is set up to pass laws, but students also compete to win scholarships such as partial and full tuition.

In fact, every delegate who attends is automatically awarded a $1,000 scholarship to AIC.

As of this year, the new Rebecca Gray School Spirit will be given to the school whose students bring a surplus of spirit by showing pride for their school. The delegates do this by attending socials, showing enthusiasm and supporting their peers. To win this award would mean that school openly showed passion for the event as well as passion for their team.

The award is the essence of Rebecca Gray, who ran the Model Congress and is also the Student Body President at AIC.

To explain how the School Spirit award was renamed the ‘Rebecca Gray School Spirit Award,’ there is the requirement of a little history lesson.

A few years back, Kathryn Mauke won the full scholarship to AIC, and sadly passed away not long after. In honor of Kathryn, a number of people, including advisors from different participating high schools as well as AIC staff, showed their support for having the full-ride scholarship renamed.

“Rebecca was very instrumental in having the scholarship renamed for Kathryn, and I think that was a gesture that was really appreciated by the high school advisors,” said Brian O’Shaughnessy, Vice President for Student Affairs as well as the head advisor for Model Congress.

“It kind of came up organically because we worked with Rebecca for a number of years and we recognized her enthusiasm,” O’Shaughnessy said. “It was a generic idea that they, the advisors, floated out there and then I connected it to the School Spirit Award,” he added.

For Gray, the award was both unexpected and humbling.

“It’s overwhelming, nothing I would have suspected and I was completely caught off guard,” Gray said.

She recalls how she first joined the program her during freshman year, and how she came to love and learn so much from it. Starting out as a staff member when the former General Chair was desperate for more people, she quickly worked up a passion for the program.

“Model Congress is not just an opportunity to get involved, as soon as I saw what it was all about and saw how long it’s been at this school, and how large of an impact it had on these high school students lives, it became so much more,” Gray explained.

Asking any staff member who worked during Model Congress 2017, they can assure you that Gray spent so much time and energy on making sure this year’s event would go amazingly and exceed all advisors and students expectations.

“She is one of the happiest and most spirited person I know. There is no one more deserving of this award being named after than her,” said Brittany Chalmers, a staff member for Model Congress 2017.

Another staff member, Sophia Oliveira described Gray by saying “she’s strong, she’s a leader, she’s empathetic and compassionate.”

We will miss Rebecca Gray, as she will be graduating this year and won’t return for 2018’s Model Congress.

After participating for four years, and being the General Chair for the last three, it will be impossible to replace her in regards to the passion, dedication and an all out love for this program, and to all staff members.