Recently, 20 BH-BL High School students traveled to New York City to take part in the 51st annual National High School Model United Nations (NHSMUN) conference. The students represented the country of Panama in a wide range of committees that addressed various political, social, cultural, environmental and economic issues facing our world today.
This conference attracted nearly 5,000 students from schools across the United States and from almost 70 countries. There were five separate extensive committee sessions, during which student delegates presented, debated, collaborated, and negotiated to develop resolutions that were then voted on by committee members–reflective of the way the actual United Nations works.
The chaperones for the trip were CIVITAS Model UN club advisors Renee Tolan–who was recognized in the opening ceremony for her fifth year of advising at the NHSMUN conference–and Jeff Reynolds.
As a part of the trip, students were also exposed to several other experiences, such as a guided tour of the United Nations building, which included access to the General Assembly and the Security Council rooms and briefly seeing a committee in session. The students also toured Central Park, visited the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and dined on an authentic Panamanian meal of tortillas, empanadas and chicken and rice at a Panamanian family-owned restaurant in Brooklyn.
The following students participated in the conference: Liz Abdoo, Miles Bechtel, Avery Broadbent, Alizee Cluzel, Regan Crary-Gracz, Fred Crudele, Jaxson Dannible, Gianna DeMartino, Genny Hart, Evelyn Hooper, Jared Iwaniec, Olivia Martin, Emily Pearson, Caitlin Rafferty, Brady Scianna, Tyler Siiss, Carter St. Louis, Ethan Swift, Mia Weisman, and Ryan Weygant.
This was the fourth and final conference of the year for BH-BL Model UN students, following conferences hosted by Hudson Valley Community College, Syracuse University and Boston University.
What is Model UN?
Model United Nations is an educational simulation centered around the activities of the United Nations with the goals of furthering understanding about the United Nations, educating students about international relations and world issues, and promoting peace and the work of the UN through cooperation and diplomacy. BH-BL students in Model UN must do extensive preparation for each conference including background research on country and committee topics, writing a research-based position paper following Chicago-style formatting, and actively understand the rules and procedures of Harvard-style debate. They received instruction on – and practiced – skills like public speaking, research, debate, critical thinking, negotiation and collaboration.