Kaleb Carlson and Nathan Cartland represent Venezuela at the 2017 Model UN, even down to their ties!
Seventy-eight Mundelein High School students participated February 2 through 5 in the Model United Nations conference organized by the University of Chicago and held at the Palmer House Hilton in Chicago. Assisted by faculty advisors Andrew Hirshman and Stacey Darcy, the MHS model UN participants joined over 2,500 other high school students from 100 schools around the world in representing the member states of the United Nations. MHS students represented the nations of United Kingdom, Venezuela, and Zimbabwe. They discussed the merits and complications of nuclear non-proliferation, offered proposals to deal with ongoing environmental crises, and debated the root causes and solutions for terrorist activities and armed conflicts around the globe.
Student delegates to the conference work with one another on topic-specific committees to produce mock resolutions on global issues. The purpose of the model United Nations program is to educate high school students in the art of debate, negotiation, and public speaking, and to introduce them to the complex realities of international relations. ” The experience at the conference allows students to see the potential of the United Nations in resolving international problems while also revealing the institution’s limitations,” Darcy explained.
MHS students found the conference both exhilarating and exhausting, and several stated that meeting students from around the world was one of the best and most educational components of the experience. Awards will be presented in the coming weeks. “It is worth noting that MHS supports one of the largest student delegations in the state and in the entire conference,” Hirshman said.
STUDENTS WIN AWARDS AT MODEL UN CONFERENCE
Alex Frumkin won a special commendation for his performance on a historical committee: The Cabinet of Russia, 2004. He portrayed the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sergei Lavrov
Michael DelRosario won a special commendation for his contributions as press reporter for The Economist.
Gillian Beginski and Nicolina Bottiglieri won special commendations for their work on the Special Political and Decolonization Committee representing the United Kingdom. This is Gillian's second award from Model UN. She also won an award last year.